Ocarina of Dimensions
by HenryTheWise
Summary: Cody Williams, a high schooler from Earth, has been dragged into a new world by the Dark Wizard Malgum. Now, in order to return home, Cody must travel with Link: the Hero of Time, Zelda: the Princess of Hyrule, and Malon: a farm girl as they set out on a quest to find the Elemental Orbs. Will Cody be able to find the Hero within in time to save this land from the dark wizard? 1of2
1. The Hero of Time Returns

**A/N: The prologue is done in 3rd person, but the rest of the story will be done in 1st person, swapping between the perspectives of Link and another who has yet to be introduced. I will let you know at the beginning of each chapter whose perspective you are reading from, so be sure to look for that. I hope you enjoy my story. R and R appreciated.**

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><p><strong>Prologue:<strong>

He rifled through the notes that were left behind looking for the final clue to the sword's location. He only had a limited amount of time before the Gerudo discovered the bodies of the missing sentries. Twinrova's, that is, Koume and Kotake's research was not well kept. It looked as if the files were just thrown together haphazardly. He had no doubt that once the twins were banished, that the foolish Gerudo locked away the research without even bothering to look at the valuable knowledge that was contained within.

There was mention of ancient magic that was far more powerful than the fabled Hero of Time was said to possess. The power to travel through time was amazing to be sure, but there were spells that would allow individuals to travel to alternate planes of existence. However, the power that this individual was looking for would allow him to not only free his master, but also defeat the Hero of Time.

He could hear the guards outside the building. Judging from the shouts, it had been discovered that the sentries were missing, but they had not been discovered. He still needed to hurry, however, before they really started to search.

As he shifted some papers to the side, he saw something promising. He scanned through it quickly, and then held up the paper in triumph. This was it! This important document not only contained within the legend that was the key to his master's release, but also the location of all three legendary blades. The latter drew his attention as he noted where the swords were hidden…

One was in the Temple of Time…

One was hidden away deep in the Shadow Temple…

And the last one was…

He scowled at the location of the final blade. The Sacred Realm! There was no way he would be able to retrieve the sword. Nor would he be able to seal it away!

He could hear the shouting outside increase in volume. The bodies must have been discovered ahead of schedule. He started gathering the important papers together as he pondered his dilemma. He could do nothing to the Sword of Evil's Bane for obvious reasons. But if the sword that was hidden in the Sacred Realm was allowed to continue existing, then all of his plans would be for naught…

As he was sticking the papers in his bag, he realized that he forgot to pick up one of the papers. As he reached for the page with the spells for dimensional travel, it suddenly dawned on him. He did not need to get rid of the sword!

He just needed to get rid of the one who was supposed to wield it…

And these spells were the key to finding this wielder.

With a resounding crash, the door was broken down.

"Stop right there!" said a very angry Nabooru.

She already had her twin blades drawn, and several Gerudo were rushing into the room behind her. The robed man laughed as shadows seemed to flow towards him. Nabooru sprung forward with a spinning slash, but her blades only slashed shadows as the laughing man vanished…

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><p><em><strong>*** The Legend of Zelda***<strong>_

_*****Ocarina of Dimensions*****_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: The Hero of Time Returns<strong>

_Link:_

"_Link! Look out!"_

The Great Fairy's Sword was already in my hand as I jumped to my feet. I quickly scanned for the threat that Navi warned me about. It took a moment for me to realize that I was in my Kokiri tree house and that I had just woken up from a dream. This was not the first dream I had about her, but they had grown more infrequent recently. It had been seven years since I had put the Master Sword back in the Temple of Time. Seven years since Navi had left me, never to be seen again. I still held out hope that she might come back, but…

With a sigh, I sheathed my sword. Judging by the light coming from outside, it was time to get up anyway. I quickly stretched to help wake myself up, then I stepped outside.

The village had already come to life, meaning that I must have slept in. There were several Kokiri running about, followed by their fairy companions. Though there were some Kokiri performing various chores to help with the upkeep of the village, it appeared to me that most of them were preoccupied with play. Before I could climb down the ladder, I noticed Saria making her way towards my house.

Ever since the rest of the Kokiri found out that I was not actually one of them, they had treated me differently. It was not like they were mean to me or anything (they still allow me to live in the forest after all), but it seemed that they would often grow quiet whenever I approached (and it was rare for one to start a conversation with me). This behavior got worse when my body started getting bigger. Mido, the self proclaimed village leader, would often just avoid me, like I had a plague or something (last time I checked, aging was not contagious). Saria, however, did not treat me any differently.

Saria usually greeted me first thing in the morning. It often did not matter when I got up. Be it early or late, I could see her running down the path towards my tree house with a smile on her face…

Except today. She was walking very slowly, and she seemed to be deep in thought. It looked as if something was bothering her. Her fairy was following close behind her, looking concerned (as concerned as a fairy can look anyway). Saria rarely, if ever, looked this upset, which was a cause for concern for me. I leapt down from the tree and rushed over to her.

Saria saw me coming and she quickly changed her expression to a cheerful smile.

"Good morning, Link," she said as she looked up to me.

"Morning," I said, "Is something the matter?"

The cheerful expression on her face vanished almost instantly. She looked down at her feet as if to collect her thoughts before looking back up to me.

"It's nothing. I've just been having this strange feeling lately."

Her fairy seemed to droop down at this. I frowned, and then asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing important," she said, putting on an obviously fake smile.

She saw the look on my face though, and sighed, "Sorry. It's just that, I've had this feeling that I've forgotten something really important."

"Like what?"

She was starting to look frustrated, "I don't know exactly. It feels almost like…" she struggled for a minute, trying to find the right way to describe what she was thinking, "…the land was covered in darkness, and I was partly responsible for saving it."

She sighed, "I know it sounds kinda specific. Maybe it was a bad dream?"

I remained silent while I listened. Years ago, when I first set out to find Navi, I visited Zelda to say goodbye. At the time, she had mentioned that even though we had only recently met, she felt as if she had known me for much longer. We had grown close during that time so I just assumed that she was referring to that. But now, I have to wonder if the Sages of this timeline were more connected to the alternate timeline than I had originally thought.

Saria shook her head as the smile returned to her face, "As I said, it's just a feeling. Do you have any plans for today? Maybe we can hang out."

I shook my head, "Sorry, but I was going to go to Hyrule Castle and visit Zelda today." It had been a few weeks since I headed that way. It would be good to see her again.

Saria nodded, "Well, be sure to have fun. And don't worry," she added when she saw the look on my face, "I'll be all right."

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><p>As I made my way out of the forest, my mind kept going back to what Saria had told me. When I had returned from the alternate timeline, I had found that I was the only one who knew anything about what had happened (including my quest for the emerald, ruby and sapphire as a child). None of the sages had retained any knowledge of what happened (well, none of the sages I talked to anyway: I figured that it was a blessing that Ruto did not remember the engagement or me). Yeah sure, times were definitely peaceful. Ganondorf had been captured, and, last I heard, he had been executed. With no threats to Hyrule, I was free to explore without the worry of a great evil hanging over my head. I was even able to meet Zelda for the first time (again).<p>

Not that I never worried in these seven years. During one of my earlier searches for Navi, I had stumbled onto Termina, a world that was threatened by an ancient evil (not to mention a big freaking moon!) that had many people who mysteriously resembled people from Hyrule. I had talked to Zelda about it after I eventually returned, but neither she nor Impa knew anything about Termina (and the Happy Mask Salesman claimed to have never been there). It was there that I had gotten the Great Fairy Sword. At the time, I had to wield it in two hands, but in the last few years I had grown into it, and could now hold the sword as well as a shield.

As I was walking, I thought about what Saria said. I began to wonder if I should ask Zelda if she had feelings related to the alternate timeline. Not that I could ask her directly without her thinking I was possibly crazy.

I was just starting to come out of the forest when I looked up. Sitting in the branches of a tree at the edge of the forest was someone I had not seen in years.

"Hoo-Hoot! It's great to see you again Link! It has been a while"

The giant owl, Kaepora Gaebora, was sitting in the trees. His head twisted all the way around (something that had always creeped me out) before righting itself again.

The last time I saw Kaepora was in Termina. He always seemed to appear whenever I was in need of guidance. If he was appearing now…

"Hello Kaepora," I said as I walked up to the tree he was in, "What brings you out this way."

He took a few seconds before he responded (which was strange, because he had always been rather chatty), "I'm sorry, but Hyrule may be in need of your assistance once again."

_Once again…_

"What do you mean by that?"

He let out a soft hoot that sounded kind of like a sigh, before he answered me, "You are not the only one who remembers the dark time of Ganon's reign hoo-hoo."

I was stunned. I was not sure if I should be glad that I was no longer the only one who remembered, or worried about what this all meant, "Is it Ganon? Has he returned?"

Kaepora Gaebora shook his head, "Unfortunately, I can not reveal any more. You must go to the Sage of Time straight away."

"Sage of Time!"

_Zelda!_

"But…"

"Don't worry," Kaepora said, "by the time you get there, she will remember everything that has happened."

Many questions were starting to buzz around my head, "I don't understand. How is this possible? Why now?"

Kaepora shook his head, "I don't know why, but it started with the break in at the Gerudo Fortress."

"The Gerudo Fortress!" I exclaimed.

I still remembered how hard it was to get through the fortress undetected. Of course, times were tougher then than they were now, "Maybe I should head over there first to investigate."

Kaepora shook his head with a quick hoot, "That would not be advised hoo-hoot. The Hero of Time must rise again. It is of the utmost importance. I'm sorry, but I must be on my way. I have a mission of grave importance, and I don't have much time."

With one last 'Hoo-Hoot', he flew off. I ran off after calling after him to wait, but he flew out of sight.

Well, that was extremely frustrating. I barely even got out of the woods, and the peace I had grown so accustomed to lately may have already shattered.

"Well," I said to nobody in particular, "I guess time is of the essence."

It had been a few months, but I figured that since I needed to get to Hyrule Castle quickly, I needed to call for Epona. I pulled out the instrument that I always carried with me: the Ocarina of Time.

After I had returned from Termina, I had offered to give the royal family heirloom back to Zelda (I may have used it a lot, but it still belonged to her). Zelda had insisted that I hold on to it. She said that, for some reason, she felt that I was meant to keep it.

I played Epona's Song, and it was not long before I heard Epona making her way towards me. To my immense surprise, she was not alone. A very familiar red-headed figure was perched on top of her which caused me to smile despite the situation.

"Well, how are you doing today Malon?" I asked trying to hold back a laugh at the confused expression on her face.

"Link!" she said, more than a little surprised (not that I blamed her), "I have no idea what just happened. I was just taking Epona out for some exercise when she suddenly quit listening to me and headed over here."

I chuckled, but quickly turned serious, "Sorry, but something's come up, and I need to borrow her for a little while."

"Oh. So that explains it," she said as she patted Epona's head, "She always did respond quickly to your call."

It had always been a topic of much discussion between me and Malon. Though Epona always liked it when Malon sang it, it did not have nearly as strong an effect as when I played it on my ocarina. The song was a magical song, and I had found that you need an instrument of some sort in order to really exploit the magic (I had tried using a piece of grass once, but could not get the tune right).

I was broken out of my reverie by Malon's next comment, "Well, I don't mind you borrowing her for a little while, but I seem to be in a bit of a pinch."

I could immediately see the problem. I had never completely understood how the song works, but no matter where I (or Epona) was, she would show up immediately. This meant that Malon was several hours away from home (and that was by horseback). There was no way that I could just leave her here.

"Um… I could drop you off at the Ranch," I said, a little sheepishly I might add, "I'm heading to the castle, so it wouldn't be a problem."

She quickly shook her head though, "It's an emergency right?"

She looked expectantly at me, so I nodded my head.

"So you should just take me with you," she said with a grin.

"Don't you have work today?"

She shook her head, her grin widening, "Dad actually got up early for once and is doing all of my chores. He gave me the day off."

Talon… working! Now that was a scary thought.

I decided to keep that thought to my self though, and said instead, "Well, if you're sure…"

She responded by scooting back in the saddle and patting the spot in front of her.

I shook my head, a small smile on my face as I walked up to Epona. She nuzzled me affectionately and I rubbed her head. I then swung up onto the saddle. Epona reared back in her excitement, forcing Malon to grab onto me.

"Let's go!" I shouted, and with a loud 'Ha!' I urged Epona into a gallop. Next stop, Hyrule Castle.


	2. Kicking and Screaming

**A/N: There is an important fact about Cody that all readers should be aware of. Cody may be from Earth, but he is from an alternate version of Earth where Legend of Zelda does not exist. I figured that it would be more interesting to see the point of view of someone who was not aware of anything that was going on.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Kicking and Screaming<strong>

_Cody:_

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to hit your face against asphalt? Trust me. It's about as pleasant as it sounds. I could hear Katie calling my name as she ran towards me, and when I turned my aching face away from the pavement, I could see the guys who tripped me walking away giving each other high-fives, as if they accomplished some great and noteworthy achievement.

What jerks…

Katie squatted down on the ground next to me, a look of worry on her face.

"Are you okay, Cody?"

"I'm fine, why do you ask?"

The worried look on her face was instantly replaced with a look of annoyance, "I would think that it would be obvious."

"I decided that now would be a good time for a nap, is all" I said matter-of-factly.

"In the middle of the school parking lot…"

"I thought the idea was unique."

She sighed heavily. I could almost hear her thinking, '_Why do I put up with him?_'

"So are you going to get up?"

"Nah, I thought I'd just stay here for a little while."

"Ugh," she said, abruptly standing up, "You are such a drama queen!"

Without getting up, I raised one arm into the air, my finger pointing to the sky as I proclaimed, "That's mister drama queen!"

Before I could put my arm back down, however, she grabbed my hand and forcibly yanked me to my feet.

"OW!" I said, rubbing my now aching shoulder, "My face hurts enough without adding a dislocated shoulder to the mix."

She ignored the comment, the look of worry returning to her face, "Are you sure you're okay."

I sighed as I straightened my jacket. She was worried about me, so I decided that it would be better to just answer her question seriously, "I really am fine. I'm kinda used to it by now."

She stared off after the two guys, who were already driving away in their pick-up trucks, "I know that I've said this before, but you really should just stand up for yourself."

"They're linebackers, and there were two of them."

She was looking at me once again, "Yeah, but if they had to work for it, they probably wouldn't bother in the future. Besides, you're much tougher than you look."

She knew that I loved to hang around outside. I would often spend hours just exploring the woods that were around my house. Sure I was not very strong, but I still liked to think that I was not completely out of shape. Of course, I still think I would have had my clock cleaned (and by cleaned, I mean thrown into a washing machine set on super spin).

"Still…"

"I would have had your back," she interrupted me, punching her right hand into her left palm, an almost evil gleam in her eye.

I had no doubt that she could not only have taken those two guys by herself, but also do it without breaking a sweat. See, Katie was a bit of a tomboy. Her brown hair was always kept short, she was a pretty good gamer, and she excelled at any sport she played (her favorite being basketball). Of course, that would not necessarily make her a tomboy, except that she did not really like doing things that most girls her age did (she especially hated shopping). She instead liked things like hunting, working on cars, watching football, etc… Because of this, most of her friends were guys.

"I figure they'll get bored with me eventually," I said as I was walking to my car.

She sighed as she followed me, "They probably won't."

Though I wholeheartedly agreed, I figured I should still not give up my position (getting punched has never been a pleasant experience for me).

I got to my car and opened the door. I turned to find that she was right behind me, still looking at me.

"What, are you going to come home with me or something?"

She stuck her tongue out at me before replying, "You wish."

That was an unexpectedly girly reaction coming from her. Before I could comment on it though, she had already started running towards her car.

"See you later!" she called as she ran.

I shook my head as I got into the car. Katie and I had been friends since the third grade when I had first transferred to this rural school (it was a thirty minute drive to the nearest city). We would always hang out and she often visited my house so that we could explore the woods together. Even as we grew older and our interests changed, we still remained close.

People are often surprised that she likes to hang out with me. She is considered one of the prettiest girls in school. I think the only reason she does not have a boyfriend is because most of the guys at school are terrified of her. In fact, she often jokes about how I am more feminine than she is (I am a 17 year old guy who does not like to play sports of any kind or watch football for that matter, so sue me).

But that's enough about that. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, started my old car which roared to life (it had holes in the muffler, though none of them were intentional), and headed home.

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><p>The house was deserted when I got home. My brother was hanging out at a friend's house, and my parents were still at work. I basically had the house to myself for a few hours. And since it was a Friday, I kicked off my shoes, plopped down on the couch, and vegged. I thought about playing a game or reading a book, but at this moment I did not feel like moving, or even turning on the TV.<p>

Though I would never admit it to Katie, it actually did bother me a little that people would go out of their way to harass me. I always tried to keep to myself. In fact, if it were not for the fact that I was book-smart (the teachers often called on me to answer questions), then I would probably not show up on anybody's radar. I was often told that it was because they were jealous. Not that I can see why. Being a starter on the football team guaranteed that they would be more popular than I could ever have hoped to be.

I closed my eyes after deciding that a nap would be good.

About this time, I noticed that something was wrong.

I opened my eyes and noticed that the room was unnaturally dark. It had been sunny just a few seconds ago. I got up, checked my watch just to be sure I did not actually fall asleep, and stepped to the window.

Black clouds were gathering overhead. Funny, I remember the weatherman saying that there was not going to be any clouds in the sky today. As I was looking out the window, I noticed that there was green glow reflected in the window. Wondering about how many strange things could possibly happen at one time, I turned around…

…and felt my breath catch in my throat.

There, between me and the couch, was what looked like a portal (yeah I know, I play too many video games). It took me a moment to realize that I could feel myself being drawn to it. I tried to scramble away, but I did not even take two steps before an arm reached through the portal, grabbed me by the throat, and pulled me into the portal.

I was in a bright green tunnel of light that was filled with a strange sound that reminded me of a flute. I was moving at incredible speeds, the wind ripping through my hair. It felt like my jacket would be blown off at any second. It started to feel like I was being squeezed from all sides. The pressure steadily increased. Too much was going on all at once.

I don't know if it was the hand or the pressure (probably a combination of both), but after just a minute of this travel, my vision faded and I passed out.

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><p>The first thing I was aware of was that it was hot. Very, very, very hot! The second thing I noticed was that I was not touching the ground. I opened my eyes…<p>

I was suspended in the air above a volcano. A freaking volcano! And when I say suspended, I mean I was floating without any apparent support whatsoever. I was only able to move my head. In a panic, I frantically looked around trying to see where I was, or what was holding me for that matter. All of a sudden, I was spun around, and I saw a robed man standing on the rim of the volcano. He kept his hood up, so I could not see his face.

"Who are you! Where am I! What the hell do you want with me!"

My heart was beating painfully in my chest. I had never been so terrified in my life.

_This can't be happening! This isn't real! This has to be a dream!_

I could barely think straight at all.

The robed man regarded me for a moment, before he finally spoke, "I will not allow you to interfere with my plans."

"What!"

Why would I do that? I have no reason to interfere with anyone's plans. For that matter, I have never met this man in my life! I did not recognize his voice, and to be fair, I am reasonably certain I would remember someone who could lift people without actually touching them.

"Farewell… Hero of Dimensions…"

With that, whatever was holding me up released, and I plummeted into the volcano.

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the cliff-hanger. I'm especially sorry that Cody won't appear in the next chapter (just to warn you), but you will see him again in chapter 4 ;).**


	3. The Sage of Time

**Chapter 3: The Sage of Time**

_Link:_

"I've never been to Hyrule Castle before," Malon said in awe as she looked up to the towering structure ahead.

"Never?" I asked, surprised, "I figured you delivered milk here all the time."

I remembered her singing near the gate in the alternate timeline as she waited on Talon (and I _know_ she would still have needed to wait on him in this timeline). I guess she never made it all the way _to_ the castle.

She shook her head, "No. Dad usually handles all the deliveries. Sometimes Ingo."

I had to resist the urge to laugh. I could almost imagine the thoughts that would pass through people's heads when they went to pick up milk and were greeted by the often scowling, unhappy face of Ingo. He was a nice enough person, I guess, but his people skills left a lot to be desired.

We rode up to the gate, where the guard halted us.

"I'm sorry Link, but there are no visitors allowed today."

I looked at him, a little miffed. Years ago, Zelda had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that I could come and go from the castle as I pleased. I had even heard rumors that she actually yelled at the King to let me in (nobody was willing to confirm it for me though). She even went so far as to get me permission to carry my weapons while I was within the castle. I still usually left my stuff at the gate though, because on more than one occasion I was almost locked up because a guard had "forgotten" that I was allowed to carry a sword in the castle. Not many of the guards liked me very much, though I never could figure out why.

"I know you're just doing your job," I started out slowly, "but it is imperative that I speak to Zelda immediately."

"Sorry Link, but orders are orders," he said.

I briefly considered hitting him over the head but decided that it would probably not be the wisest choice.

Before I could come up with some form of excuse to tell this guard (I figured he would not believe 'I need to save the world'), a very welcome individual strode up.

"Open the gates," Impa said.

"But ma'am!" the suddenly flustered guard exclaimed.

Before he could make any more objections, Impa thrust a document sealed with the royal seal at the guard, "This should be sufficient, yes?"

The guard quickly grabbed the letter, examined the seal, then immediately opened the document and read through it. After he finished, he took a moment to shoot a glare at me, then grudgingly opened the gate.

"Thanks," I said cheerfully as I started leading Epona through the gate. The guard stopped me however.

I did not even bother hiding my annoyance, "What is it now!"

"The letter is only a summons for _you_, not your lady friend."

"_What!_" Malon exclaimed, "Are you _really_ going to force me to stay out here and wait for him!"

"Of course."

It looked like Malon was getting ready to jump out of the saddle at the guard, so I turned to Malon, "Sorry, but could you take Epona into town please." I then whispered, "_I'll tell you about it once it is finished_."

Malon sighed, "Whatever."

She rode back towards town without further complaint. I passed the guard as I walked through the gate, resisting the urge to smack the smug look off his face. I reached the Sheikah warrior, and she immediately turned on her heel and started heading for the castle. She set a fast pace and I was forced to hurry in order to keep up.

She was quiet while we made our way to the castle. As we crossed the castle moat, Impa halted, and then turned to face me.

"You knew, didn't you? You always knew"

I simply nodded. I knew what she was talking about. How could I not. Judging by the conversation I had with Saria this morning, it was very likely that Saria and the rest of the sages remembered everything from the alternate timeline.

A fact that was confirmed by Impa a few seconds later, "I guess I can't call you 'boy' anymore."

She continued on into the castle, with me trailing behind her. Hyrule castle was a very large building. Some of the temples and dungeons that I have been through were not even half the size of this place. Impa led me down several corridors, seemingly turning at random whenever she reached a particular hallway. I had been exploring this castle for years, and I still got lost. I was always amazed that _anyone_ could ever find their way through this confusing labyrinth.

It did not take me long to realize that we were not heading towards the Throne Room, where I would normally meet up with the princess. Impa eventually led me down a corridor that was had several guards stationed along the hallway. They saluted her as we made our way to the door at the end of the hallway. The door was white and was beautifully adorned with intricate golden designs. Without knocking, she opened the door and headed inside, with me right behind her.

Inside was a rather large sitting room. There were other doors which I assumed led to a bedroom and washroom respectively, but they were the least of my concerns. Sitting on a fancy couch on the opposite side of the room was Zelda, her head in her hands.

She was in her normal gown (the same one I remembered from the alternate timeline), but her hair looked a little messed up, like she had been messing with it furiously. Her crown lay beside her on the couch, forgotten. She seemed so upset that she did not even notice mine and Impa's arrival.

Impa remained by the door and motioned for me to go forward. I approached slowly, not sure if I should disturb her at this time. Even when I was standing over her she did not seem to notice. I cleared my throat, causing her to look up quickly, clearly startled.

Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. I did not know of all the trials she had been through in the seven years that I had been sealed away, but it never dawned on me how painful it could have been. A sob tore from her throat and before I knew it, she had me in a fierce hug, crying into my tunic.

I was so shocked that I was not sure what to do at first. Even when we were children, Zelda had never been this forward. Once I regained my senses, I put my arms around her, returning the hug.

It took her a few minutes to calm down. She continued to embrace me, and I heard her whisper, "I'm so sorry Link."

"You have nothing to apologize for," I told her gently.

She shook her head against my tunic, "Of course I do. I thought by sending you back, you would get a chance at a normal, peaceful life. I didn't realize till now how lonely you had to be. I should have known…"

"Stop."

She looked up at me, tear streaks down her face, "but…"

I shook my head, "There's no way you could have known. I don't blame you at all. Besides," I said with a smile, "I was never really lonely."

It looked like she was _trying_ to smile at least, "I still feel terrible though."

She disentangled herself from the equipment on my back, and stepped away. She had to take a deep breath to compose herself.

"As much as I would like just sit down and talk, we have much more pressing business."

I nodded, "What do you know about what's going on?"

"An ancient prophecy is starting to come to life, and it involves the Hero of Time."

"Um…" I said a little suspiciously, "you didn't find this out from a giant owl did you."

"A giant owl?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Never mind."

"I found out from Rauru," she said, still give me a strange look.

_The Sage of Light…_ It made sense. If anybody had any idea of what is going on, Rauru would.

She continued, "Some unknown entity is after a sword that could possibly be as powerful as the Master Sword…"

"Wait a sec," I interrupted, "That can't be right."

"Unfortunately yes," Impa said right behind me, causing me to jump. I never even hear her move from the door, "According to legend, there were three blades blessed by the goddesses. However, two of the blades were altered."

"Altered?"

"Yes. You've already wielded one of these altered blades," she said. Noting the surprise on my face, she added, "The Sword of Evil's Bane. The Master Sword."

"The Master Sword is one of these blades?" I asked, "How is that?"

"I don't know all the details, but one sword was imbued with the power of light, making it into a weapon that evil could not touch."

"Let me guess," I interrupted, "The other sword was imbued with darkness?"

She nodded.

"Does any of this have anything to do with the break in at the Gerudo Fortress?"

"Rauru mentioned it," Zelda said uncertainly, "but not much else. I can't imagine that he would have said anything about it if it wasn't somehow related, though."

It seems that whenever I got even close to an answer, it would be blocked by more questions.

"Do we know where the dark sword is? Maybe we can stop it from…"

"Unfortunately, we do not possess that knowledge," said Impa, dashing my hopes instantly.

"Link," Zelda said my name softly.

I turned to look at her before she continued, "The fact that the sages' memories are returning is a sign. It would only happen if we were needed once again."

She took my hands in hers and looked up at me imploringly, "Please, will you, once again, become the Hero of Time?"

"You didn't have to ask."

She smiled when I said that.

We stood that way for a few minutes, that is, until Impa interrupted us by saying, "Time is of the essence, remember?"

We quickly backed away from each other, embarrassed. Zelda quickly recomposed herself (how does she do that!), and then said, "I can use my power as the Sage of Time to open the Door of Time without the need for the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby, and the Zora Sapphire. After that, we'll have one piece of the prophecy in our possession."

I nodded, "After that, I'll visit the Gerudo and talk to Nabooru. We need some answers if we are going to effectively fight whatever is coming."

"We have a plan now," Impa said, "We should move now, and quickly."

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews are appreciated :)**


	4. A Rude Awakening

**A/N: *IMPORTANT NOTE* I said this before in Ch. 2, but just to make sure that everyone understands: **

****Cody lives on a version of Earth where the _Legend of Zelda_ series _does not exist_.****

**In other words, he knows nothing of Link, Zelda, the sages, etc… **

**Remember to keep this in mind as you read the story.**

***UPDATE*: Fixed some grammatical mistakes and certain strange word choices. Sorry about that.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: A Rude Awakening<strong>

_Cody:_

_Am I dead?_

I briefly considered the possibility, but discarded it. Though the temperature was much more comfortable than the volcano, the hard floor I was laying on was way too uncomfortable for me to be dead.

I remembered being dropped into a volcano, but I did not get very close to the lava before what appeared to be a giant owl came out of nowhere and rescued me. I had passed out shortly after I was caught. I guess I was brought here…

Wherever here is. I cracked my eye open and immediately noticed that the lighting was much softer than the harsh orange of the volcano. Blue was predominant, but the floor I was lying on seemed to be gold, though from my angle I could see some white as well.

"_Cody…_"

I could barely hear it, how silently it was whispered…

"Cody…"

Louder this time. I got into a sitting position and looked around. From this position I could see that the symbol I was sitting on was three gold triangles set together to form one larger triangle with an empty triangle in the middle. The platform was surrounded by water, and there were what looked like round platforms of various colors around the triangle.

"Cody. Behind you…"

I scrambled to my feet and spun around. Of course, in my current state, moving that fast had the effect of causing me to fall back down. Standing there on the yellow platform was an older man. He was balding and had a white mustache. He wore intricate orange robes and I noticed the same symbol that I was standing on was on his belt. But the thing I really noticed was that his ears were pointed.

"Oh, that's just great!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I guess I'm still dreaming!"

"Dreaming?" the old man said wryly.

"Yep."

I turned and looked around. There looked like there were other platforms kind of like the one I'm standing on, but they did not have the triangle or the circles on them, just this one. They also looked like they had beams of light passing directly through them. Oh yeah, there also did not appear to be any floor or ceiling. No way is this place real.

"I can't believe that I dreamed all this up though," I said out loud.

The old man sighed, "Isn't it customary to pinch oneself when one is dreaming."

So is this my subconscious calling me an idiot? And why is my subconscious an old man in the first place? I shrugged and, just to humor him (myself?), I gave my arm a pinch.

Ow! Ok, that kind of hurt. I looked up and saw that the old man was still there. I pinched myself again, but the old man just would not go away.

"Are you going to do that all day," he said, sounding a little annoyed.

"That depends, how much time till midnight?"

He ignored me, "My name is Rauru. I am the Sage of Light."

"Uh-huh," am I in a video game or something?

"You were brought here by the great owl spirit, Kaepora Gaebora."

Oh! So it was not just a giant owl, it was a giant owl _spirit_! And I am being told this by an elf. I pinched myself again.

"Could you quit that please? I promise you that you are certainly not dreaming."

"So says the elf in the room with the impossible architecture."

"I am not an elf, boy. I am a Hylian."

"Sure thing Legolas."

I could tell that Rauru was fast losing patience with me, but I could not bring myself to care.

"You don't understand. The land of Hyrule is in danger by the very man who tried…"

"No! _You_ don't understand!" I interrupted him, "I don't care what's happening I just want to wake up and go home."

I splashed into the water and got right next to Rauru, pointing my finger into his chest, "Now listen up you old fart. I want out of here and I want," poke, "it," poke, "right," poke, "NOW!"

"ENOUGH!"

There was a flash of light, and I found myself back on the triangle on my back. There was an intense pressure keeping me pinned. I could not even breathe…

The pressure was gone as quickly as it came. I laid there for a minute, trying to catch my breath. When I could finally breathe properly, I said, "Ok, I admit it. It probably isn't a dream."

Rauru at least had the good grace to look ashamed, "I'm very sorry, young Cody. I'm usually much more calm and collected under any circumstances."

He looked at me, and then smirked, "I guess you have a gift."

So I have the ability to make even the most well-mannered person so angry that they become violent? So does that mean that I am antisocial? Not sure if I want to take it as a compliment.

"Let me explain. The reason you are here, is because you were chosen."

"Chosen? Chosen by what?"

"I would say destiny chose you, but I don't think you would believe me," Rauru said, "Let's just say that magic more ancient and powerful than anything you could possibly imagine has marked you for a purpose of great importance."

Jeez, what a mouthful.

"You were chosen…" he continued, "chosen to be the Hero of Dimensions."

The robed man on the volcano had called me that, just before he tried sending me to a fiery death. I'm not sure I like the thought of being the Hero of Dimensions. What does being the Hero of Dimensions even mean?

"But why! What for!"

"I can't really answer that. It would take decades to even come close to scratching the surface. But as for the here and now, this great land of Hyrule is in trouble."

"Wait," I stopped him before he could continue, "Can't you see me? I'm no great athlete. I can't save this place. I can't save Hylia, Hyrule, or whatever this place is called."

"You may not see it now," Rauru told me, surprisingly gentle, "but the day will come when you will."

"I'll have to take your word for it," I said skeptically.

"That's okay for now. First off, however, you need to obtain the power to fight."

With that, Rauru raised his arms to the sky (I could not tell if there was a ceiling or not after all), and a bright light appeared. It got so bright that I shielded my eyes…

The light faded, and I felt a strange weight on my forearms. I opened my eyes and saw something strange. I had bracers fastened over my jacket sleeves. These bracers looked to be made of steel. They had intricate patterns that seemed to flow all over the bracer. The triangular symbol was in the middle of the bracers, and in the middle of the symbols were rubies cut to fit into the symbols. In addition to the bracers, there was a satchel. It looked rather plain, but when I tried to take a closer look at it, it disappeared. I could not even feel the weight of it anymore.

Rauru saw me looking around trying to find the satchel, and chuckled, "Don't worry. If you have need of it, it will reappear."

"The bracers you now wear are known as the Bracers of Armum. They have been used by the many warriors that came before you. They're strong enough to block physical attacks by themselves, but they also have the ability to project a magical shield that is quite powerful."

_Would have been handy to have these back at the volcano_, I thought to myself, _and does this mean that I'm not the first Hero of dimensions?_

I examined the bracers, looking for some button or _any_ indication of how to work them, but could not figure out how to make any shield come to life (I even tried pressing the rubies).

I looked questioningly at Rauru, "Any tips on how to use it?"

"When the time is right, you'll know."

How incredibly helpful…

"What about the bag. Can you at least tell me how to re-summon it?"

"You want to see it again do you?"

"Of course I do! Why the hell do you think I would… holy crap!" the bag had reappeared at my side. Oh, I think I get it now.

"The bag is called the Infinity Bag. Besides what you just found out, it can store anything of any size. Not to mention that it can store any amount."

Now I was intrigued. Not only could this bag hold anything, but it also did not have to be carried unless I wanted something? Now _that_ is incredibly useful.

"There is one more thing. Check the bag."

My curiosity now completely piqued, I reached my hand into the bag, "Um… Rauru, I can't find anything in here."

My arm was up to my elbow in the bag and I still could not feel the bottom.

"Any item that is in the bag can be summoned. Since there is only one item now, you don't have to summon it by name. Remember to concentrate…"

I shrugged, and then stuck my hand into the bag again. I concentrated a little, and then something was in the palm of my hand. I pulled it out…

It was some sort of musical instrument, one I did not recognize. It was roughly egg shaped with a mouthpiece near the wider end of the oval. It was also green. Of course, it had some holes on the front that were no doubt used to play different notes.

"What you hold in your hand, is the Ocarina of Dimensions," Rauru informed me, "It will help you on your journey."

"How is a musical instrument going to help me?" I asked, looking at the green instrument doubtfully.

"You will find out, in time."

I am beginning to suspect that he does not actually know anything.

"Okay, but you should know that the only musical instrument I've ever played was the kazoo," then I added jokingly, "and I wasn't any good at that either."

Rauru looked at me funny, "What's a kazoo?"

Damn it, stupid jokes are all I have! Please do not take that away from me…

Rauru just shook his head, and another round flute (an ocarina?) appeared in his hand, "I shall teach you the Song of Dimensions. Pay close attention to the placement of my fingers. You can learn how to actually play your ocarina later."

I watched as he played. The melody was slow, but the tune reminded me of new beginnings (never thought I would think of a comparison like that). The song sounded strangely familiar, though I was certain that I had never heard it before today.

Even though Rauru had showed me, it still took me several tries before I got the song down. As soon as I played it right, I felt a surge of energy go through my body. It was brief but powerful. After it faded, I could _feel_ the song in my head. It was just a hunch, but I had a feeling that if I tried to play the song again, that I would do so without messing up.

"That song has powerful magic with several uses. The only one you need to know about right now is that it can open several of the doors here in the Temple of Light."

"You want me to explore a temple!" I asked doubtfully. I could not see how exploring some random building was going to help me do… whatever it is I am supposed to do.

Rauru nodded, "Yes. There is one more thing that you need. But it is locked away deep in the temple."

"What is it?" then I quickly added, "And if you give me another cryptic answer, I might have to throw this ocarina at you."

"I actually was going to tell you," he said with a small smile, "You are looking for a powerful magical sword. This sword will grant you the power you need to save this land…"

"It is also the key to return you to your land."

"Let me get this straight," I said, "I get the sword, save the land, and I can go home?"

Rauru nodded, "That is the jist of it."

This sounds like the plot of most fantasy games…

I sighed, "So where do I go."

Almost as if it was waiting for my agreement to this bizarre quest, the platform started moving. It was so sudden that I fell down again. I was really getting tired of losing my balance like that.

"I will set you down in the hallway closest to the sword. You will have to travel down a few levels, but there are no side paths, just stairs between the corridors."

As we got closer to what I assumed was our destination, I realized that there was something bugging me about all this, and now seemed as good a time as any to ask Rauru about it…

"By the way," I started to ask, "How do you know my name?"

"It is not important right now."

_Sigh._

As we went down, it seemed that a room almost materialized around us. As the platform set down in the wide corridor, I noticed that it was pretty much empty. It was also surprisingly well lit, considering that I could not see where any light was coming from. The corridor stretched on before us, and I could see a staircase at the end. I looked behind me to see a staircase that led up… and noticed that Rauru was gone.

I looked around, trying to see where a guy his size could have gone in such a hurry. Then I heard his voice echoing through the corridor, "You must hurry. There isn't much time…"

Feeling a deep sense of foreboding, I stepped off the platform and walked towards the end of the corridor.

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><p><strong>AN: The next chapter will continue Cody's story. I had originally meant for this chapter and the next to be one, but it was stretching on for longer than I intended (and I did not want to take anything out just to make it shorter), so I've split it.**

**Also, due to the fact that classes have started up again, I will probably take extra time between updates (I'll try not to take too long though).**


	5. The Agony of Destiny

**A/N: This is currently the most violent chapter in the story (so far, though I don't think any will get as violent).**

****Remember, Cody is from an alternate Earth where the _Legend of Zelda_ series does not exist!****

**This is very, very important to remember, otherwise some of what Cody says or thinks will not make sense.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: The Agony of Destiny<strong>

_Cody:_

You would think that a deserted temple would not be all that hard to get through. You would also think that if it was hard to get through, the person who is making you explore it would at least tell you if there was anything you need to look out for.

The next corridor had a pit in the middle. In the middle of this pit was a column with a switch. At the end of the corridor I could see the stairs, but they were blocked by metal bars. I stepped up to the edge of the pit and looked down. I could not see the bottom.

I immediately broke out in a cold sweat. You see, I am not all that great with heights. I can deal with it if there are railings, but put me next to a long drop off without anything to keep me from going over the edge, and I start to panic.

The pit was not all that wide; I could make the jump pretty easily. The problem was that I kept imagining missing. Curse me and my active imagination!

I took a deep breath, started bouncing on my feet in anticipation (because we all know that bouncing on your feet is essential), and leapt to the switch. I landed on the switch, and heard the gate start to rise. Without losing momentum, I immediately leapt from the column to the other side. I continued running until I made it past the gate (it still had not raised all the way).

Before I stepped into the next corridor, I sat down on the steps, putting my head in my hands. Why am I here? I am not heroic. I cannot be the Hero of Dimensions. Just one small pit and I nearly start hyperventilating. Hell, I cannot even stand up to two bullies at school, and I am supposed to save some country that I have never even heard of?

I sighed. I wish Rauru had come with me. If I had been thinking straight, I would have made him understand that there was no way that I could ever be a hero.

But…

I stood back up and faced the next corridor. If I had any kind of trait that could be considered in any way heroic, it would be my sheer stubbornness. I marched into the next corridor.

* * *

><p>I flopped down on the ground, exhausted.<p>

It had taken me a few hours. In hindsight, the puzzles were not all that hard, but unlike the many videogames I liked to play, one little screw up and it would have been game over for me. There would be no second chances. There were several sliding puzzles involving large moving blocks (may I remind everyone that I am not all that strong), and a few that had more (gulp) pits. There was even one with a swinging blade. I had to time that one perfectly, and it still came uncomfortably close…

But now I was finally at what was (hopefully) the final room. There was a large stone door in front of me. On it was a strange carving. It was a large circle, with another smaller one inside. Inside the smaller circle was the same triangular symbol that was on the platform I had been on at the start of the temple (first chance I get, I'm going to ask somebody to tell me what it is actually called). The inner circle was surrounded by seven other symbols. They reminded me of the ones on the first platform, but they looked different (and the platform had six, not seven).

I examined the door, but could not see any way to open it. It had no handles and there were no switches that I could see. Frustrated, I dug out the ocarina that Rauru gave me and started fiddling with it. I remembered him saying that it would be useful on my journey, though that was kind of hard to imagine…

I proceeded to smack my head with my palm. Rauru had told me that the Song of Dimensions could open doors in the temple. I had not used the song yet, so it stood to reason that I would need it now (otherwise, why would Rauru bother to teach it to me). I put the ocarina to my lips, and started playing.

Just as I had suspected earlier, the song came to me as if I had known it my entire life. With a loud grinding sound, the door split open along an invisible seam, and slowly opened. The room beyond was, strangely, not as well lit as the rest of the temple. The only source of light was a spotlight that showed from some unknown source in the ceiling. Resting in the light was a sword.

"I guess I'm almost finished," I said as I started to walk into the room.

As I stepped over the threshold, Rauru's voice suddenly boomed out, "Wait! Something's not right! I can feel an evi…"

The door slammed shut, cutting Rauru off. I spun around, but I could not even see where the door used to be, it was so dark. Feeling a sense of dread, I turned around and started walking slowly toward the sword. The floor around the sword was raised up, and the sword itself was in a pedestal in the middle of the platform. As I got closer, I could tell that the same symbol that was carved into the platform that was on the door.

I probably would have thought the sword looked pretty cool, under different circumstances. The blade was straight but thinned near the hilt. The hilt itself was green, like the ocarina I had, and looked like it had wings. There was a yellow gem where the hilt met the blade. It was hard to tell at this distance, but the same symbol that was on the floor looked to be etched into the blade, right before the blade started to thin.

I was right up next to the sword. I stared at it for a few minutes, my heart beating faster than I ever felt it beat. With a trembling hand, I reached for the sword…

Bright green flames burst up from around the sword. I yanked my hand back, stumbling backwards and falling down (again…). I continued to back away backwards across the floor, until I heard a heavy thump behind me.

I froze. _Now_ my heart was beating faster than it ever has before. I slowly turned my head to look over my shoulder. Standing behind me was a large hulking creature, hidden in shadow. It was slowly straightening up, and as it did, the lighting got bright enough that I could finally see the thing behind me.

It looked like a cross between a dinosaur and a giant lizard. It stood on two legs and was about eight feet tall. It had four arms, each of which was holding a sword.

I was back on my feet instantly, backing away from the creature. The lizard thing seemed to smirk at me (can lizards smirk?), and tossed a weapon at me. It was not tossed hard, but I still scrambled out of the way to avoid getting sliced. The lizard thing seemed disappointed.

"You are supposed to be an all powerful warrior," it said with a honking voice that strongly reminded me of Donald Duck, "but you are weak. Pick that sword up and provide me with a worthy challenge."

What kind of challenge can a high school kid, who never held a sword before, provide to a giant lizard who was wielding three swords? Trembling, I picked up the sword he tossed me and held it out in what I hoped was some form of defensive stance. This caused the lizard to laugh, "This battle will be short."

He immediately advanced on me, his swords swinging. I was barely able to deflect the attacks, but he was forcing me to lose ground. By the heat at my back, I knew that he was trying to force me into the fire. Seeing what I thought was an opening, I immediately tried to slash at his side…

I have no idea what happened. I was lying on the ground on the other side of the room, several slashes across my body. I stared numbly at the lizard, who what grinning broadly at me. He was advancing on me again, twirling all three of his swords. I noticed that the farther he got away from the sword in the pedestal, the more the flames died down. I briefly thought about making a break for the sword, but knew that a different weapon was not going to magically make me a better fighter.

I stood my ground, and moved the sword to my right hand while I raised my left arm up. I tried to will a shield to life, knowing that it might be my only hope…

But as it was when I first tried it, the shield did not come. The lizard swung the blade down, and though the bracer blocked the attack, it did not block the two other swords that approached from both sides. I backed away again, blood dripping down my sides, soaking my clothes. The lizard started honking, and I knew that he was laughing at me.

He could kill me any time he wanted. He knew it, and I knew it. He was just toying with me…

He wanted me to suffer…

He wanted to have a good time while killing me…

Something inside me snapped. With a scream of rage, I charged at the lizard, wildly swinging my sword. He was briefly surprised at my sudden change in attitude, but soon was cackling in delight as he blocked all of my swings. He was blocking me with such ease. I knew that he was still toying with me, and this made me even angrier. Abandoning all pretense of defense, I went straight for his unarmed hand.

I must have surprised him, leaving myself open like that. He did not even have a chance to block me…

His hand was sent flying from his body.

He stared in shock at the bloody stump where his hand used to be. I was in shock too. All the anger I had just a moment ago faded and was quickly filled with self-revulsion. I know that he was a monster bent on killing me, but I had no idea that I was capable of doing something like that.

He recovered before I did, and with a loud roar, he swung all three swords, leaving gashes in my chest. I doubled over, pain streaking through my body. Then, he kicked me. He kicked me so hard that I was sent flying, my sword flying from my hands. I landed in a heap beside the sword I was supposed to get (the fire must have died down when the lizard went to the edge of the room).

I had always heard that a person's life flashes before their eyes whenever they are about to die, and apparently I was no exception. I could see things from my childhood. I could see my parents and friends. I saw Katie. Hell, I even saw the jerks who tripped me. It was hard to believe that it happened just a few hours ago…

I reached up and grabbed the sword that was in the pedestal to help myself to my feet…

Several things happened.

I noticed as I pulled myself to my feet that the lizard on the other side of the chamber had a look of pure horror on his face. As I was coming to my feet, I could feel the pain fading. When I glanced at my chest, I noticed that my wounds had closed up, leaving angry red marks. I could feel energy travelling up the sword and into my body, making me feel stronger, lighter on my feet…

With a loud honking roar, the lizard started to charge me. Instinctively, I rolled away from the sword as the green flames roared to life once again. I grabbed the sword which had clattered near me and rolled to my feet. The lizard was already upon me, slashing furiously. He obviously was done playing with me.

As we fought, I realized that the sword did not just heal me. I suddenly knew how to fight this beast. Even though his slashes were much better placed, I was able to block and parry them all. In addition to the sword, I used the bracers to block many of the blows. Initially, I had found it hard to use both the sword and the bracers at the same time. Now, I was doing it as if I had been trained to do it my whole life.

The sounds of clashing metal echoed throughout the room. The energy I had after I had touched the sword was fading from the exertion of battle. But I could tell that the lizard was also tiring, thanks to the new knowledge that I had about combat. I pushed myself a little harder, and found an opening.

One of his blades clattered to the floor as another of his hands flew away. Now only his two upper arms remained.

His onslaught increased in speed. However, I noticed that he was getting sloppy. It was possibly due to the amount of pain that he was no doubt in. It was not long before I took out his left hand.

He was frantically backing away. Big mistake…

His other hand was soon gone. I slowly advanced on him, the tables now completely turned on this creature. The only thought in my head was that I wanted him to suffer the way he was making me suffer. The lizard glared at me defiantly as he abruptly stood his ground. I paused, waiting to see what he would do.

"I will not allow you to live," he said with a snarl.

He took a deep breath…

And unleashed a steady torrent of fire at me.

Instinctively, I raised my left arm, and a red shield erupted from the bracer. The shield covered the entire front of my body. The fire parted on either side of the shield, but I noticed that the shield was starting to show cracks. I pushed forward through the fire, making my way towards my enemy. The shield was going to fail any second now, and with no sign of the fire letting up, I knew that I would not be able to get the final blow in without getting burned into a crisp…

Then a word popped into my head, and I knew what I had to do.

With the cracks nearly reaching the edge of the shield, I concentrated on the word that was in my head…

_Overload…_

The shield exploded outward from the bracer in a spectacular fashion. The energy field that was generated pushed the fire away and washed over the lizard. The lizard screamed in agony as red lightning raced over his body.

I did not give him a chance to recover…

I pushed off the ground, jumping higher than I ever had before… and sliced my sword through the lizard's neck.

Time seemed to slow as I landed on the ground. I could hear the body behind me collapse to the ground with a thump. I could also hear something hit the ground near me with a sickening smack. Everything that I did came to me in a rush. My sword fell to the ground with a clatter as I collapsed to the ground. I landed on my knees and put my head in my hands. I felt numb. I could not believe I was capable of doing such things. I had wanted to hurt him, make him suffer…

Am I really a hero?

It took a monumental effort, but I shook off the depressing thoughts and wearily pulled myself to my feet. I turned and looked at the weapon I had been sent to obtain. I wanted to run away, never to look upon it again, but I knew that I had nowhere to go. Nor did I have any idea how to get home. I had to play along for now and hope that I will get my chance.

I took one step towards the blade, then another. It felt like it took hours to reach the sword, but it probably only took a few seconds. I was standing over the blade. I took a deep breath then grasped the handle. I could feel the energy surge through me once again, strengthening me. With a slight tug, I pulled the sword free of the pedestal.

All of a sudden, green light filled the room. The light got brighter and brighter, until everything in my vision went white.


	6. Battle at the Temple of Time

**A/N: Please review. It makes me happy :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Battle at the Temple of Time<strong>

_Link_:

"Princess, I really don't think this is a good idea."

I tried to hide my impatience. While it is true that I was not too thrilled with Zelda leaving the castle before I knew what kind of threat Hyrule faced, I also knew that she was the only one who could open the Door of Time without the gems. So having the Captain of the Royal Guard constantly questioning my ability to protect her when we had not even left the city…

Well, it was down right irritating.

If only he knew what I was capable of.

"I'll be fine," Zelda told him for what felt like the _thousandth_ time, "I have Link and Impa to protect me."

The captain gave me an appraising look (again) and then said, "I'll be waiting outside, your Highness."

Zelda nodded, then turned to Malon, "Will you be joining us too, Malon?"

Malon just nodded numbly. She was still in shock over meeting the Princess of Hyrule so suddenly.

Malon had been waiting for me when we had come out of the castle. I can still remember the look on her face when she saw me, Impa, several royal guards, and the princess on top of a white horse (the captain insisted that Zelda could not walk _all_ the way to the Temple of Time). I really wished I could have had my Pictograph Box.

"Shall we go?" Impa asked.

The guards positioned themselves outside the temple doors to give us some privacy, and Zelda, Impa, Malon, and I walked into the temple.

It looked just like it did all those years ago. White and gray were the prominent colors. There was red carpet at the entrance and in front of the alter. The warp platform was located not too far from the entrance (for some strange reason, it had not worked ever since I put the Master Sword back for the last time). The main difference now though was that the Door of Time had been resealed.

"I don't understand," Malon said, "Why are we here?"

Before I could think of some way to gently tell Malon about what was going on, Impa beat me to the punch and said, "We are here to retrieve the Master Sword."

"What! _The_ Master Sword!" Malon exclaimed.

Zelda nodded her head absently, "Yes, the Master Sword does in fact exist. And Link is the one who will be wielding it."

Malon looked at me skeptically before turning back to Zelda, "Link. Wield the Master Sword. Are you sure?"

Thanks Malon, your confidence in me is overwhelming…

"Don't worry," Zelda said with a small smile, "I think Link is more than capable of wielding the sword."

We made it to the alter where I had placed the jewels in the alternate timeline. We looked up at the massive stone door in awe. Well, at least three of us did…

"So, where is the sword supposed to be hidden?" Malon asked. I had forgotten that she did not know most of the stuff that we knew.

Impa gestured to the door in front of us, "It is behind that door."

"Behind that _wall_?" she asked disbelievingly. Impa just nodded, and Malon shrugged and said, "If you say so…"

Zelda glanced at us, "I don't know how long this is going to take. If you would please…"

Zelda motioned for us to move back, and we obliged. She turned once again to face the Door of Time and raised her hands above her head. A ball of light formed in-between her hands, steadily growing bigger.

I was watching this when Malon suddenly grabbed my arm, leaned in, and whispered in my ear, _"You never told me that the Princess of Hyrule could use _magic_!"_

I smiled sheepishly, "Well, it never actually came up."

She glared at me, "Is there anything else I should know."

I hesitated. I was not sure of the wisdom of telling her everything that I knew of the alternate timeline. If anything, she was probably better off not knowing…

But she was my friend, and I hated lying to her. For better or worse, I was going to have to reveal what I knew.

"It might take a while," I said.

"It looks like we have plenty of time," she told me as she looked back at Zelda. The ball of light _was_ growing pretty slowly.

I nodded, and opened my mouth to speak…

When Impa interrupted me, "We have company."

I swore as I turned toward the entrance. If those guards had decided to disregard Zelda's orders…

Malon stepped away from me with a gasp as I pulled the Great Fairy's Sword from my its sheathe and readied my shield. Impa already had her own weapon, a kodachi, drawn. There were three shadowy blobs forming at the entrance to the temple, and as they rose, they started to take on a more humanoid shape. A familiar sword and shield combo appeared on their back as they took on a shape I remembered very clearly from the other timeline.

Shadow Link. Or should I say, Shadow _Links_.

Impa was already half way to the shadows as I started my charge. Strangely, only one of them charged to meet Impa. They clashed and I noticed something strange. Not only did it look like the Shadow Link was right-handed (the one I fought had been left-handed like me), but his fighting style was… sloppy.

Impa easily fought the Shadow Link back and delivered a fatal blow. With a final shriek, the Shadow Link dissolved into darkness.

The other Shadow Links laughed in a very chilling manner that caused me to come up short. Impa then cursed and threw her blade away. The Sheikah's weapon was covered in some kind of black stuff that quickly covered the entire blade. The blade seemed to shudder on the ground, and then dissolved.

Impa backed away from the spot where her blade had landed quickly, "Be careful Link."

I turned back to the other Shadow Links, as they charged at me. They clashed with me. Though they seemed to be better than the one who fought Impa, they were still not as skilled as me. We fought for several minutes, and I was eventually able to exploit one of the Shadow Links' mistakes. I used my shield to knock away his sword and thrust mine through his chest.

With a screech, he disappeared. The last Shadow Link back flipped away, laughing as he did. I looked down at my sword and noticed that it had been corrupted when I had delivered the final blow to the other Shadow Link. Unlike with Impa's blade, however, the corruption was spreading slowly. The magic in the Great Fairy's Sword was keeping the darkness from spreading, but I knew that the sword was not going to last more than a few more minutes.

The last Shadow Link hung back. If he could smile, I'm sure he would be doing so now. He was trying to keep his distance, waiting for my sword to disintegrate so that I would be more vulnerable. I was not going to make it easy for him.

I charged at him again. Though he backpedaled, he could not move away fast enough. We clashed again. This time, his skill matched mine. It seemed that every time one of the Shadow Links was killed, the Shadow Links that were left got more powerful.

We traded blows. Our blades were nearly blurs as we clashed again and again. Even if I could get the upper hand on him, chances were that I would not be able to do so before my sword was destroyed. As I tried to formulate a plan in the middle of this battle, I heard a sound that on any other day would have been extremely unwanted…

"What's going on here!" the Captain exclaimed as he rushed into the temple, followed by two of the guards.

"What do you think!" Impa shouted, "Help us!"

The guards all readied their spears and began to thrust at Shadow Link. He was surrounded, so he unleashed a spin attack that forced me back and broke the two guards' spears. They proceeded to retreat rather quickly. The captain managed to block without losing his weapon and immediately followed up by swinging his spear. I was already closing the distance once again.

Apparently the Captain had definitely _earned_ his position. Between me and the Captain, Shadow Link was having a hard time keeping us at bay. He was still managing, however. He would knock the spear away with his shield then spin around to unleash a flurry of sword thrusts at me, keeping me on the defensive.

I noticed that the corruption had nearly turned the blade black, and it had almost reached the guard of my sword. I did not have much time…

Shadow Link finally made his move. After forcing me back once again, he quickly spun around towards the Captain who was getting ready to attack again. Shadow Link then tossed his shield. The Captain tried to block, but the heavy shield easily shattered the shaft of the spear and connected with the Captain's chest. The Captain flew back and landed on the ground with a thud. He was out for the count.

Shadow Link immediately went on the offensive. His attacks came at impossibly fast speeds that prevented me from getting any attacks in of my own. The corruption was almost to the guard and to the hilt. Time was running out.

Shadow Link jumped away, laughing. He knew that he had won…

Shadow Link was leaning back as his sword clattered to the ground, his red eyes wide with surprise. I could see Impa behind him, some throwing knives in her hand, and a grim smile on her face.

I did not waste any more time. I charged magic into the Great Fairy's Sword, and then unleashed a spin attack on the now helpless Shadow Link. With a loud screech, he disappeared into shadow. Just as he vanished, I dropped the now fully corrupted sword. I watched with a bit of sadness as the trusty blade that I had been using for the past few years disintegrated into shadow, never to be seen again.

I looked behind me to see Impa heading over to check on Zelda and Malon. Zelda looked as if she had not moved through the entire battle. The ball of light in-between her hands had grown quite massive. Malon looked rather shaken, but otherwise fine.

I went over to the Captain, who was being looked over by the guards. He was just barely returning to consciousness.

He looked up at me and, for the first time ever, smiled at me, "I guess your not such a bad guy after all, eh, Link?"

I could not help but grin as I held out my hand to the Captain and pulled him to his feet, "I could say the same about you."

The Captain saw Zelda with the ball of energy in her hands, and said, "I guess I always knew that the princess was special. I just never imagined how special."

"I can explain…"

"It's not my place to question," the Captain interrupted me.

He looked around, then with a sigh, said, "I'll go back outside then. There are still more guards, so don't hesitate to call for help if needed."

I nodded, "Will do."

As the Captain walked back outside, I heard the groan of a large stone door. I turned around to see that Impa was supporting a now very exhausted Zelda as the Door of Time slowly slid open.

Zelda opened her eyes and smiled weakly at me, "That took a lot more out of me than I thought it would."

I started to walk towards her, but she held up her hand to stop me, "Don't worry about me, Link. You have your own role to play here."

I nodded. I started to head towards the chamber where the Master Sword rested. As I passed Malon, she reached up and grabbed the sleeve of my tunic.

"Are you really going to go pull the sacred blade?"

I smiled at her as I said, "It's my duty as the Hero of Time."

"You're the Hero of Time!" she said, shocked.

Again, I need to remember that Malon does not know everything.

I nodded to her, "I promise to explain everything later."

She nodded at me in turn and let go of my tunic. I could feel her watching me as I made my way into the chamber.

The chamber looked like the rest of the temple, but the room was circular instead of square and the ceiling was much higher than in the main chamber. There was a raised platform in the middle of the chamber. Carved onto the platform was the symbol of the sages. Despite the bright room behind me, a single window seemed to provide the only light in this room. Resting in the shaft of light was the sword that had gotten me through the time of Ganondorf's dark reign. Even after all these years, the winged purple hilt of the sword was still very familiar to me…

The Blade of Evil's Bane… the Master Sword.

I reached forward and got a firm grip on the hilt with both of my hands. Planting my feet, I gave the sword a firm tug and it slid free of the pedestal. I was surrounded by a bright blue light as I felt the power of the Master Sword surge through me. The light got so bright that I was forced to cover my eyes briefly…

As soon as the light died down, I dropped my arm and felt my mouth drop open in surprise.

Standing before me was another person, his arm was raised to cover his eyes. Judging by his rounded ears, it was obvious that he was not Hylian, though his complexion made it highly unlikely that he was a Gerudo (not to mention the fact that he was male). He was close to my height and his dark, almost black, hair was not quite shoulder length and looked a bit messy. He had on a gray jacket that had a hood (he was not wearing the hood though), a black shirt with strange writings on it, and strange blue pants. His footwear was also strange. I noticed that he had bracers equipped over his jacket sleeves and a sword scabbard at his belt. The thing that really caught my attention was the sword in his hand. It was identical to the Master Sword, except that the hilt was green.

The Sword of Darkness? Here!

Not leaving anything to chance, I readied my sword and shield and charged at the person in front of me.

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><p><strong>AN: I must say, I am enjoying writing this fic even more than I thought I would. A lot of the free time I have goes into this fic (I'm neglecting all my video games lol). Again, reviews are definitely appreciated.**


	7. Heroes Clash

**A/N: I will mention this one more time (I will try not to annoy you guys with it anymore).**

****Cody is from an alternate Earth where the _Legend of Zelda_ series DOES NOT EXIST****

**It is important to remember that fact, otherwise some of what Cody says or thinks will not make complete sense.**

**And now, Cody finally gets to meet Link.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Heroes Clash<strong>

_Cody:_

I had barely enough time to realize that I was in a smaller version of the room I was just in before a green blur charged me.

I threw up my new sword to fend off an attack from a green clad, sword-wielding maniac. I instinctively charged energy into my blade and unleashed it, forcing him back. He twirled his blade in one hand as he eyed me, probably sizing me up.

While we had our standoff, I was able to get a better look at him. He seemed to be the same race as Rauru (had pointed ears and everything). Besides the sword and shield he was wielding, he wore a green outfit as well as a strange green cap. He was wearing skin tight white pants and a shirt underneath the green tunic. He had on brown leather boots as well as brown leather gloves that were fingerless. I noticed that he was not only left-handed, but that his sword looked like a purple hilted version of the sword I was now wielding.

My new knowledge of combat led me to believe that he was going to attack soon. So I wracked my brain to come up with the perfect way to defend against him…

And found that the knowledge I had absorbed was all jumbled up. I may have had all sorts of knowledge of combat, and my slightly stronger body was more than capable of performing all those moves, but I had not the faintest idea which ones would be most useful against this new adversary…

_Aw, crud…_

The green warrior charged at me and I was barely able to defend against him. The bracers and the magic barriers were very useful now that I knew how to actually use them, but I was not able to effectively attack the maniac. I was able to fight the lizard thing so easily after touching the sword, but now…

Did the knowledge I absorbed after defeating the lizard cluttered my brain too much to effectively fight?

The green man unleashed a flurry of sword thrusts that I was just barely able to knock off course. If this kept up, I was going to be skewered…

Then a bright flash of light appeared between the two of us and we were both forcibly thrown back. We sprung to our feet quickly to face each other down, and noticed that a familiar robed figure was between us…

"That's enough!" Rauru said angrily, looking first from me to the green-clad warrior.

"Rauru?" the green man said with surprise, "I've never seen you outside of the Chamber of Sages before."

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait!" I exclaimed, gaining Rauru's attention, "You _know_ this maniac!" I said as I gestured at the green man with my sword.

"Move aside," the green man told Rauru, "I must destroy him."

"Oh! You want a piece of me!" I said, more confidently than I felt, "Well bring it on!"

"I said that was enough!" Rauru exclaimed angrily.

"He holds the Sword of Darkness Rauru. I must…"

"That is not the Sword of Darkness that he wields, young Link."

That brought the green man (Link?) up short. I saw him inspect me again before he turned back to Rauru, "Are you positive?"

"I was the one who sent him into the Temple of Light. The sword he has is the Dimensional Blade," Rauru then looked at me before looking back at Link and added, "He is the Hero of Dimensions. He is going to help you on your quest."

It was hard to tell who looked more surprised: me or Link. I am reasonably sure that my jaw dropped all the way to the floor.

"You can't be serious," I said.

"I would never jest about something like this."

"Maybe you didn't notice," I hissed through my teeth, "but psycho Billy over there tried to kill me!"

"Psycho Billy?" asked a very confused Link.

"You'll get used to it," Rauru told Link quickly before turning back to me, "and yes, you don't have any choice in the matter."

I felt my temper flare up suddenly, and I just about spouted off an angry retort but thought better of it.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, and then I said, "What exactly are we supposed to be doing?"

Rauru looked at me for a few seconds (probably to see if I was going to make another outburst), before he continued, "There are forces in motion. The fact that the sages have reawakened and both the Master Sword and the Dimensional Sword are now active, suggests that someone is getting close to the Sword of Darkness…"

He paused for a second before dropping the bombshell, "And I believe that the one who brought Cody to our world is the culprit."

I could not believe what I had just heard.

"We're going after the _first_ person who tried to kill me!"

Yeah, that's right. I'm making a list. Robed man, giant lizard, green psycho…

"Not yet," Rauru interrupted my thoughts, "I doubt even Link could find him. He has a nasty habit of disappearing instantaneously. In fact, I'm reasonably sure he was the one that broke into the Gerudo Fortress."

Link seemed to perk up at this information, "If you think it was him, do you have any idea what he was after?"

"He stole some of Twinrova's research. I surmise that he used what he found to bring Cody here."

"So, does Psychopath Number One have a name?" I asked.

Rauru sighed, "Unfortunately, he seems to have appeared out of nowhere. It was as if he did not exist until the Gerudo incident."

I sighed, and then stated, "You know, I have absolutely no idea what's going on here."

"Sorry about that," said Rauru, sounding sincere, "Unfortunately I don't have much time left. I'll leave it up to Link to fill you in."

"And don't forget us."

I had been so distracted by the green-clad maniac that I never noticed that we were not alone. I abruptly turned to face the entrance to the chamber and saw three women. One was a red haired girl wearing a white blouse and a purple skirt. She also seemed to have a brown apron over the skirt, which had strange symbols I did not recognize. There was also a blond woman who was wearing a dress that was various shades of pink. She even had pink gloves that extended past her elbows. Judging by the crown on her head, she was probably royalty. She was being supported by the third woman. The last woman looked older, but she seemed to be in pretty good shape. She had silver hair and red eyes. She had on mostly purple, but she also wore what looked like a form-fitting steel breast plate. Unlike the other two women, she had sword sheathe on her back (reminded me of the ones ninja's carry), but it was currently empty.

I noticed that the red-haired girl looked about as confused as I felt. At least I was not the only one.

The one who had spoken before, the blonde, spoke again, "I'll personally make sure that the Hero of Dimensions will get the knowledge he needs."

Rauru bowed his head in acknowledgement, and then turned back to Link, "Before I go, I must tell you what you need."

Rauru reached into his robe and pulled something out that I could not see (I was surprised that he did not just summon it like he did everything else). He held out his fist to Link and opened up his hand. In his hand was a round orb not much bigger than a marble. The orb pulsed with an inner white light.

"This is the Orb of Light. It is one of six elemental orbs. These orbs can be used to give elemental attributes to the sacred blades or any piece of your equipment."

Rauru stopped for a second, and I noticed that he seemed to fade for a second, before returning to normal and continuing, "If you can collect all six, you will be able to combine the power of the sacred blades."

"Combine the power?" Link asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"The man who is going after the Sword of Darkness has formidable powers. Once he gets the sword, he will be unstoppable, even with your power combined," he looked back at me before looking back at Link and continuing, "If you use the orbs, however, then you can…"

"Steal his power from him," Link finished for him, grinning.

Rauru returned the smile, and seemed to fade out again, longer this time.

When he came back, he had some final words, "Remember, you must find the orbs. They are the only guaranteed way to save Hyrule. The sages will be your guide."

Rauru started to fade out of existence as he turned to look at me, "And the orbs are the only way for you to return home."

With that, the first person I met on this world (that was not psycho) disappeared. Silence reigned in the chamber. It seemed kind of awkward to me (Link did try to kill me a few minutes ago). Just when it carried on to the point that I wanted to scream, the red-haired girl cleared her throat.

"_So_, is anybody going to explain to me what the hell is going on!"

* * *

><p>The room we were in was pretty ornate. Certainly fancier than any room that I normally go into. After the red-head's comment, the ninja woman insisted that we head back to the castle so that the princess could rest (I <em>knew<em> she was royalty). After a brief altercation with some guards outside (they were not expecting another person to walk out of the Temple), we finally made it all the way to the sitting room of the princess.

It was the first time I had ever been in an actual castle. It was massive. Hard to believe that something like this could have been built without the construction equipment back on Earth.

I was not the only one to admire the large architecture. The red-haired girl openly admired it all the way to the sitting room.

The ninja woman helped the princess onto the couch. After she was situated, she finally looked up at me and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Zelda, and I am also the Sage of Time."

She gestured to the ninja woman, "This is my caretaker, guardian, and the Sage of Shadows, Impa," then she gestured at the red-head, "And this is Malon, a friend of Link's."

Impa bowed to me. Malon, who seemed a bit flustered, curtsied.

I nodded, "My name is Cody Williams," because I was not entirely sure what I was supposed to do in a situation like this, I bowed to them, "and I am a human from Earth."

"And you already met Link, the Hero of Time."

We took a moment to glare at each other before looking back at the princess. This is going to be a pure form of hell travelling with this guy.

"How much do you know of Hyrule, Mr. Williams?" Zelda asked me.

"Well," I said, pondering, "I know your race is Hylian, magic exists, and… not much else. The rest of my knowledge you were pretty much present for when I got it."

Zelda nodded, "This may take a while then. You see…"

She explained a lot to me. Turns out that the world I was on was pretty vast and mysterious. In the country I was currently in, there were six different races that were radically different from each other. A race of immortal children that could never leave the woods they were born in, a race of fish people (land-bound mermaids?), a race of rock people (I have no idea how to respond to that), a race of only women (how is that physically even possible!), the red-eyed Sheikah (I guess they were ninja warriors or something), and, of course, the hylians.

Zelda also told me the story of Link, the Hero of Time. Apparently, when he was 10 years old, he traveled through time and helped stop an evil man from ruling Hyrule and gaining access to a powerful relic (turns out that the triangular symbol that I was seeing everywhere was the sacred artifact and it was called the Triforce). The thing I found really funny about the story was that from what I gathered, Link was a 10 year old trapped in a 17 year old body. That had to be all sorts of awkward.

I was not the only one who was getting an unexpected history lesson. While it seemed that the events of what happened in the alternate timeline (time paradoxes…yay) were remembered by Link and, as of now, the sages, Malon did not know anything about what happened. For some reason, I felt really happy that I was not the only one who was completely lost (though she had the advantage of actually living in this wacked out world).

Zelda also told us about the legend involving the three blades. Apparently, my sword was the "unaltered" blade while Link held the Sword of Evil's Bane. And including what I found out from Rauru, the power of the three blades could be combined to form the ultimate weapon. A true Master Sword, so to speak.

"And don't forget the legend of the Dimensional Sword," Impa added. I was surprised to hear her voice. She had not spoken since I first saw her.

"Ah, yes," Zelda said, "It is said that there can only be one wielder of the Dimensional Sword at a time. While you live, nobody else can use the true power of your sword."

I am not sure if that is something I really needed to know. All psychopath number one has to do to make sure my sword is no longer a threat is to kill me…comforting…

"So," I said, trying to shake the new feelings of dread that I now had, "where do we start."

"From what Impa told me, the first orb is located somewhere in Lost Woods. The Sage of the Forest should have instinctual knowledge of its location. For the other locations…"

Zelda turned to Impa, and Impa said, "I only know the location of one of the orbs. Hopefully, you will find clues as to the locations of the other orbs, but I do have a hunch I would like to follow."

Zelda nodded, and then turned to Link once again, "Link, I have a favor to ask."

Link bowed, "Anything."

Zelda took a deep breath, then blurted out, "Let me come with you."

Link's eyes widened with surprise, "Whoa… Wait… _What_!"

Not that I wanted to agree with one of the guys who tried to kill me, but I had to admit that Princess Zelda did not look like someone who would go gallivanting around the world on an adventure.

Even Impa seemed shocked, "But princess…"

Zelda held up her hand to forestall any more argument, "I know the risks, but I think that I could be of real use," she smiled, "With the memories that came back, I have knowledge of the Sheikah combat arts. Combine that with my magic…"

"But princess," Impa protested, "just because you have knowledge, does not mean that your body remembers. Besides, you had years to develop those abilities…"

"I think I can attest to that," I interrupted, "The Dimensional Sword gave me knowledge of combat, but it did not give me…" I paused, trying to think of the right word, "the _wisdom_ of what kind of… fighting style… to use. I'm not sure how I was even able to hold Link off"

I was kind of floundering, starting to feel that I spoke out of turn (a bad habit of mine).

But Zelda just nodded thoughtfully and smiled, more impishly this time, "That may be true, but I have the perfect practice partner."

She stared pointedly at me before I realized what she was talking about, "No, wait! You can't be serious!"

Impa looked thoughtful, "Actually, it might work. It is rumored that a Sheikah was one of the first ones to wield the Dimensional Blade, and the sword absorbs the combat knowledge of those who wield it…"

"Did you guys already forget what I said? I don't _really_ know how to fight! I don't know _how_ to use the knowledge that I gained."

"True," Impa said, "but Zelda should be able to perform the stances, and from _that_ you can figure out the rest of the Sheikah forms. As for your swordplay…"

Impa looked over at Link with a small smile, "Link can help. Isn't that right, Link."

Link just grunted, completely non-committal.

Great, he is going to use it as an excuse to kick my ass, I just know it.

"Then it's settled," Zelda said, standing up on her own this time.

"You realize that the guards won't let you leave right?" Link tried one last time to dissuade her.

"I seem to recall that _someone_ was pretty good at sneaking in and out of the castle," Zelda teased, "I'm sure you can sneak me out as well."

Link just sighed, looking resigned.

Zelda then turned to me, "I'm terribly sorry Mr. Williams, but would you and Malon meet us outside of Castle Town? Impa will escort you."

I shrugged, "Yeah sure. And if you don't mind, could you call me Cody?"

Zelda smiled, "If you so wish, Cody Williams."

I guess that is the best I can hope for.

Impa walked over to us and motioned for us to follow. Malon and I followed Impa to the door, but Impa stopped and turned around to face the princess.

"Before you leave the castle, there are some things that I would like to give you. I will lead them from the castle and return."

With that Impa left the room, and Malon and I followed her.

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><p><strong>AN: Please, please, please review!**


	8. And Then There Were Four

**A/N: The action kinda dies down for this chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: And Then There Were Four<strong>

_Link:_

I was not sure what to think of Cody. He appeared to be the same age as me, but he was so unaware of what was going on, that I could not help but think that he will be more of a liability than a potential ally. I guess that only time would tell.

Impa was not gone for very long. She walked in, carrying a package, which she handed to Zelda.

"This is a gift for you. You might recognize it."

Zelda looked at Impa curiously, then opened the package and peered inside. She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes as she reached inside and pulled out the contents. I recognized the clothing as the Sheikah outfit Sheik wore in the alternate timeline. Also included with the outfit were a sheathed kodachi, several throwing needles, and a chain.

Zelda wiped the tears from her eyes, and then smiled at Impa, "Thank you so much."

Impa returned the smile, "I hope that these will aid you on your journey."

Zelda hugged Impa, then turned to me, "I'll go ahead and change then."

She went into her bedroom, leaving me and Impa alone.

"I trust that you will remember to take good care of her," Impa told me.

"I will protect her with my life."

Impa nodded, "Good. In the meantime, I will go and investigate the Shadow Temple. I have some hunches as to where the orbs are, and I feel that the Shadow Temple may be our best bet at finding them."

"Good luck, Impa."

At that moment, Zelda came out of her room. Whatever she had done to herself in the alternate timeline to change her appearance, she did not bother doing it now. She did not cover her face up this time, and she kept her feminine figure and her blue eyes. She had her hair done up in the traditional Sheikah braid. Her kodachi was set at the small of her back, and she sported a new belt that she did not have in the alternate timeline that had several pouches for carrying items and slots for her throwing needles.

She spun around once to show off, and then with a grin asked, "What do you think?"

I could feel myself blush. The outfit she was wearing hugged her curves a little _too_ well.

"Y-y-yeah, looks gr-great…"

Zelda giggled.

Impa sighed, causing both me and Zelda to turn to her, Zelda's face turning pink.

Impa then said, "Again, time is of the essence. I will distract the guards for you," she turned to me, "Please get the princess out of the castle safely."

I grinned with confidence, "You can count on me."

Impa quickly left the room. I then turned to Zelda.

I held out my hand and asked, "Ready to go?"

* * *

><p>The trip out of the castle took a little while. There were guards everywhere. Luckily, none of them figured out that Princess Zelda was missing before we got out of the building. When we got to the town, Zelda covered her face, making her look more like the Sheikah warrior she had impersonated in the alternate timeline. As we walked over the drawbridge leading out of Castle Town, we finally saw Malon and Cody just outside the town walls. They were standing there awkwardly. They had their backs turned, so they did not notice us yet.<p>

Zelda took off the covering on her face, and grinned, "They look rather cute like that, don't you think."

"I don't know. Looks almost painful."

Zelda stuck out her tongue at me, "You're no fun."

I shook my head, exasperated, "You are acting _so_ different right now! Did that outfit come with a personality switch!"

"Well, I always have to act so stiff and formal at the castle," she said, smiling broadly at me, "I just want to relax a little. This is _so_ refreshing."

I sighed, "We're going on a dangerous mission, one that you _insisted_ on coming on by the way, and _you_ want to relax?"

She turned to me with a pout, "You don't like it?"

I could feel my face heating up, "It's not that, it's just…"

_I'm not used to you acting so cute…_

She frowned, "Is it because I'm dressed like Sheik?"

I smacked my hand to my head, "I wasn't thinking about how odd that was _until_ you just said that."

She giggled, and then gestured to the two in front of us, "Shall we?"

She immediately started walking towards the two in front of her, calling out to them. With a sigh, I followed.

Malon and Cody turned around, clearly startled. I had to hide my chuckle at that.

As soon as Zelda and I got to them, Malon said, "You guys might have a problem."

She turned to look out at the field. I followed her gaze and saw Epona grazing in the field (Malon must have brought her out here when she and Cody walked through town).

I do not understand. What kind of problem could involve…

Wait a minute…

"Epona probably can't easily carry all three of us for long periods of time," I said, feeling my hopes starting to dwindle, "and we can't afford to walk all over Hyrule."

"What about the teleportation spells?" Zelda asked, "They can get us to our destinations quicker than a horse."

I shook my head, "Ever since Ganon was sealed in the alternate timeline, the songs have not worked for me."

"Great, we haven't even started and we already hit a roadblock," Cody said, sounding bitter.

Cody's attitude was really starting to wear my patience thin. I know that he may not have chosen this, but neither did any of us. He is not so special.

Before I could put him in his place, Malon interrupted, "I may have a solution to your problems."

Uh oh. I really do not like the look on her face.

"So, what is your plan," I asked cautiously.

"Well," Malon said with a coy smile (argh…), "I _may_ be able to get my hands on a wagon for you to use…"

I sighed, "What's the catch?"

She quickly moved directly in front of me. She looked up into my eyes as she raised her arms up, her hands clasped in front of her.

"You have to let me come with you."

"Absolutely not," I said without hesitation.

"Pleeeeeaaaaasssse?"

"It's going to be extremely dangerous."

"You're letting the _Princess of Hyrule_ come!" she said indignantly.

"If Zelda didn't have Sheikah training, I would never in a thousand years let her come."

"You're going to need someone to drive the cart, and," she said, her face becoming hopeful once more, "I'm a pretty good shot with a bow."

"I never knew you practiced with a bow," I said, feeling impressed in spite of myself.

I heard a loud 'harumph' from to my left. I turned and saw a very annoyed Zelda staring (was she _glaring_?) at us.

"Just let her come," she said, once she saw she had my attention, "The more the merrier, right?"

Is it just me, or did her smile looked a little forced?

Cody looked first at Zelda, and then looked to me and Malon. He grinned (the first time I ever saw him do that) and said, "So what, is this like a love triangle or something?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Malon quickly backed away, Zelda's face turned beet red, and I turned and stared at Cody, completely shocked.

"Ah. I guess it's a sensitive subject," he said, his smile getting wider.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said a very flustered Malon.

Zelda took a breath to compose herself, "Can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head, "we should head to Lon Lon Ranch."

Cody rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>It took us an hour to walk to Lon Lon Ranch, Malon leading Epona the entire way. Thankfully, Cody did not say anything the entire time (he was not my favorite person at the moment). When we go to the Ranch, Malon excused herself while she went inside to talk to her dad (Cody, Zelda and I waited at the gate).<p>

Shouting could be heard in the ranch, causing Cody to comment, "I guess her Dad doesn't like the idea of his daugher going on a dangerous errand."

Cody seemed be thoughtful. It was hard to tell if his comment was serious or a joke.

"So, Mr. Williams…" Zelda began.

"Just Cody," he said absently.

"Cody Williams," Zelda began again, "I was wondering if you would tell me about the world you come from."

As much as I would hate to admit it, I was also curious about where Cody came from.

He seemed surprised by Zelda's inquiry, "What do you want to know?"

Zelda immediately launched into a barrage of questions, "What kind of people live on your world, what kind of magics do your people use, what does your world look like, what…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait," said a flustered Cody, "One question at a time please."

I chuckled. I almost felt sorry for him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Williams," Zelda smiled apologetically, "What does your world look like? How is it different from Hyrule?"

Cody took a moment to compose himself. It was just a guess, but it looked to me that he probably did not want to think of his world.

"As I said, the world I come from is called Earth. Unlike here, there is no magic…"

"Really," I said, surprised.

Magic might not be the most common thing in Hyrule, but everyone in this world has seen it at one point or another. Of course, seeing as Zelda and I use magic on an almost daily basis, we cannot imagine a world without any form of magic.

Cody nodded, "Yeah, my world relies on science instead of magic. We have some pretty advanced stuff, especially compared to here."

With a grin, Cody stated, "We actually have horseless carriages."

"Amazing," Zelda said with awe.

A horseless carriage does sound pretty amazing, but it seemed a little too far fetched to me.

At that moment, Malon came back to the gate, followed by a very irritated looking Talon. I was kind of surprised. Talon was a very laid back individual. I have never seen him this angry before.

I looked over at Zelda and noticed that she had already covered her face. It was probably a good idea not to reveal to anybody that she was the Princess of Hyrule.

He walked right up to me and started to stare me down (which was impressive, because he is shorter than me), "Listen here, boy. I am _trusting_ you to watch over my little girl. You ain't gonna let anything happen to her, now are you?"

Judging by the glower, I could almost believe the unspoken threat coming from Talon. Malon mouthed 'sorry' at me over his shoulder.

I looked Talon in the eyes as I gave my response, "I swear to you: no harm shall befall your daughter. I will protect her with my life."

"Me too."

We all turned to Cody. He looked abashed, then mumbled, "Two swords are better than one, right?"

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Malon was actually blushing a little.

Talon looked at Cody, sizing him up, and then turned back to me, "I trust you Link. Bring her back safe."

I nodded. With a deep and weary sigh, Talon turned and headed back into the ranch. Malon motioned for us to follow, and she too went back into the ranch.

We followed the father and daughter into the ranch. Like in the alternate timeline, Lon Lon Ranch did not change much in the past seven years. Out by the barn, I saw Ingo, muttering as usual, getting Epona and a horse I did not recognize attached to a carriage. It looked like the carriage that Talon normally delivered milk in. There were already provisions packed into the carriage, including a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Epona did not look particularly happy to be tied down and was giving Ingo some trouble. Since Malon was still talking with Talon, I ran over and helped Indigo.

It took me a moment, but Epona eventually calmed down. She still snorted unhappily but at least she was standing still.

Ingo muttered a brief "Thanks," to me before he went back into the barn. At this point, Cody walked up to the carriage, Zelda trailing behind him.

Cody looked at the carriage, and then looked back at me, "The wagon was being prepared before Talon actually came out to talk to us."

"You going somewhere with this?" I asked him.

"It means he had already given Malon permission to go before he came out to speak to us," Cody said simply, "I guess that means that Talon really does trust you a lot."

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult."

"Neither, just making a statement. It means he has a lot of respect for you," then Cody added, "You can take _that_ as a compliment."

But was that not what he just said to me? I do not think I will ever understand Cody.

Talon and Malon walked over to the carriage. Malon wiped her eyes and smiled at us, "Well, are we ready to go."

"As ready as we'll ever be," Cody said before I could say anything.

Before I could express any annoyance, Zelda nodded and said, "We must make haste."

Malon and Talon hugged, and then Malon climbed into the driver's seat while Cody, Zelda and I piled into the back.

"Take care Malon. Be safe."

"I will dad," Malon told Talon with a sad smile.

Malon snapped the reigns, causing the carriage to lurch forward. As the carriage started heading out of the ranch, Malon turned around in her seat and waved to her dad. Talon waved back. It was hard to tell, due to the late afternoon sun, but I could have sworn that I saw tears falling down Talon's face.

As the carriage pulled onto the road, Malon said, "It'll be dark before we arrive at the forest. But it should not be too late."

"Guess we should hurry then," I said.

Looks like I am going back home.


	9. Kokiri Forest

**A/N: The last chapter actually got some reviews. Thank you so much :). It makes me very happy!**

**In this chapter (and the chapters that follow), the first person perspective might change in the middle of the chapter. After you see a horizontal bar, if you see _Link:_ or _Cody:_, then the perspective has changed. Sorry for any confusion.**

**One last thing: whenever fairies speak, they speak in italics. **"_Link! Look out!_"** would be an example**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Kokiri Forest<strong>

_Cody:_

Right before nightfall, Link made sure to tie some torches onto the four corners of the carriage and light them. After the sun went down, I found out why.

Small skeletons with giant heads (they called these little horrors Stalchilds), started rising from the ground and chasing after the carriage (albeit slowly). For some reason, the Stalchilds (Stalchildren?) did not seem to like the torches all that much and would usually turn away before they got too close. The ones that were a little more adventurous would get shot by Link with his bow, which he seemed to have pulled from nowhere (does he have an Infinity Bag too?). It was only an hour or so after sunset that we made it to the forest.

The forest entrance was strange. The trees were packed in very tightly, and the only way in was through a log tunnel. We proceeded through the tunnel and came to a wooden bridge. We had to get off at this point (no way that the bridge could support the weight of the carriage and the horses). We went the rest of the way on foot, and we soon wound up in a small village.

There were many houses here, most looking like they were made from hollowed out trees (giant ones at that). There did not seem to be much activity, but to my surprise, there were children running around. One of them spotted us, a blonde haired little girl with shoulder length hair that was done up in twin pigtails. She was wearing a green hair band and had on green clothes similar to what Link wore. For some strange reason, she had a glowing green orb of light floating around her head. It seemed to have wings.

She ran up to Link with a smile on her face, "Hiya Link! I thought you were going to be gone for a few days."

"Hello Larina, how was your day?"

"Oh, the usual. You know me," she said with a giggle. She then turned to look at Zelda, Malon and I, and asked, "Who are your friends?"

Link gestured to each of us in turn, "This is Cody, Malon, and…" he paused for a second when he got to Zelda, "and Sheik. We need to see Saria. Is she home right now?"

Larina looked over to a house that was almost right next to the tree house, a look of worry on her face, "Saria has been holed up in her house all day since you left. Mido tried to speak to her, but she even kicked _him_ out. The Great Deku Tree told us to give her some time but…"

"Don't worry," Link said, "I have a feeling she will be willing to talk to us."

"If you say so," she said uncertainly.

"Oh, Larina?" I said as I got onto one knee so that I was eye level with little Larina, "If you don't mind, could you tell us where to find an adult that could help us get lodging for the night?"

I was feeling kind of useless right now, so I figured that it would be a good idea to be proactive for once and make sure we could get some sleep. I knew that _I_ was feeling rather exhausted. However…

Larina looked at me as if I had sprouted two additional heads. Link was busy laughing his head off. Malon just shook her head.

Zelda walked up to me and whispered into my ear, "Remember what I said about the Kokiri?"

The little immortal children of the forest… Now that you mention it…

"Uh… sorry Larina. I guess I just put my foot in my mouth," I said standing up, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.

Larina smiled at me again, "Don't worry mister. It's alright."

After Link finally stopped laughing (he was doubled over and everything), he stood back up and with a smile said, "Don't worry about a place to stay Cody. It will be taken care of. In the meantime…"

Link turned to Larina, "Thank you for your help Larina, we'll go see Saria now."

"Good luck Link," Larina said.

Larina ran off, waving her hand as she left, the orb thing following her.

"Just wondering," I said as I watched the orb thing fade into the distance, "What is up with that orb of light?"

"It's Larina's fairy guardian," Link said a little wistfully, "All the Kokiri have one."

Zelda looked at Link, "I remember that you had one too…" she paused for a second, and then asked, "What happened to Navi?"

Link turned away and was silent for a few seconds, before he answered, "She… disappeared... I haven't seen her since I put the Master Sword back…"

With his back turned to us, it was hard to tell what he was feeling. His voice was emotionless, but his actions spoke louder than words ever could. I guess that Navi meant a lot to him…

Would Katie miss me as much as Link misses Navi?

I shook off those thoughts as Link finally turned around, "It doesn't matter right now. Let's just go see Saria so we can figure out our next course of action."

Link walked off quickly. He probably did not want to be dragged into any more conversations about his missing companion. The rest of us looked at each other, and then proceeded to follow him.

As we were walking, I leaned over to Zelda, "So, if Link had a fairy companion, does that mean he is a Kokiri?"

I looked back over to Link, who looked to be as old as me, and looked back to Zelda, "He doesn't look like an immortal child."

"He isn't," Zelda said, "He is a Hylian like me and Malon, but he was raised by the Kokiri. For the first 10 years of his life, however, he thought he was a Kokiri."

"Oh," I said as I looked back at Link. Link traveled through time and was forced to lose his best friend. On top of that, he found out that everything that he knew about himself was not true.

Link's past truly was complicated.

We arrived at what I figured was Saria's house.

Link paused at the entry way for a moment, and then called inside, "Saria?"

Silence reigned for a minute, then a soft voice called from inside, "Come in…"

Link motioned for us to follow. He then ducked inside, and the rest of us followed.

Inside was a single room. To my surprise, the room was more than tall enough for me to stand in. The room was mostly empty. There was a rug in the middle of the room, a table and chair shoved against the far wall, and another table to the right. On the left was a small bed and on the bed was a young, green-haired girl. She had a green hair band that was similar to the one that Larina wore. She had on a green tunic as well, but she also wore a green sweater underneath. She was looking rather forlorn as she sat there. Like the last Kokiri that we just met, this girl also had a fairy floating around, though this fairy was pink in color. Unlike the last one, however, this one seemed almost… agitated. It was bouncing around a lot, making strange noises, the whole nine yards…

As soon as we stepped in, the fairy noticed Link, and flew straight to him, _"Link! Saria has been acting strange all day since you left!"_

Link nodded to the exited fairy, "Thanks Ami."

He then walked over to the bed and got down on one knee so that he was eye level with Saria. She finally noticed him and looked up.

She did not say anything at first. She just seemed to inspect Link for a minute until her eyes landed on the sword hilt that was peaking over Link's shoulder.

Saria smiled sadly at Link before she said, "You look just like you did when you rescued me from the Forest Temple."

He rescued her from a temple? So, are _all_ temples in this world dangerous!

Saria finally noticed that she and Link were not alone. She looked up at us and smiled in a friendly manner. I got the feeling that she was one of those people who were always nice and everyone wanted to be friends with.

"I recognize Zelda from the other timeline, but who are your other friends Link?"

"Saria, meet Malon, next in line for ownership of Lon Lon Ranch, and Cody, the Hero of Dimensions."

I do not think that I will ever get used to being called a hero…

Saria got up off her bed and curtsied to us, "It is very nice to meet you. My name is Saria, Sage of the Forest."

Wow. I know she is an immortal, but she seems kind of young to be a sage. I wonder how old she truly is. Would it be considered rude to ask an immortal her age? It is not like there is any kind of basis where I come from for how I am supposed to act around an immortal…

Malon and Zelda returned the curtsy. I sat there for a moment, wondering why we were being so formal, when I got an elbow in my side from Malon. She gave me a pointed look. Getting the message, I quickly bowed. Formal situations are definitely not my cup of tea.

Saria smiled at us, "I get the feeling that you guys aren't here just to check up on me. Does it have anything to do with why I got my memories back?"

It was Zelda's turn to speak up, "Please, let me explain…"

Zelda explained everything about the robed man, the sacred swords, and the orbs we needed in order to neutralize the Sword of Darkness.

"So you think I know where one of the orbs is?" Saria asked doubtfully.

"It would be instinctual. Just concentrate for now. Let's see what happens."

"All right," Saria said. She sat back on her bed and closed her eyes.

She sat there for a few minutes, unmoving. It was taking so long that I thought that maybe it was not going to work.

Suddenly, Saria's eyes snapped open and she blurted out, "We need to go to the Forest Temple!"

Link looked surprised, "The orb is there!"

Saria shook her head, "No, I don't think so. But I think we will find a way to find the orb once we get there."

Zelda nodded, "Then we will head out first thing tomorrow morning," she looked at Saria with some concern, "Please be sure to get some rest. You look like you need it."

She nodded and smiled at Zelda, "Thank you. I'll be sure to do that."

We turned to leave, but Saria stopped us, "Link, do you think I could talk to you. Now."

Link paused, but before he could say anything, Zelda interrupted, "Yeah, go ahead."

She put her arm around my shoulders, a mischievous smile on her face, "Me and Mr. Williams have something to take care of."

I have a terrible feeling that I am _really_ not going to like where this is going.

Link nodded, and then turned back to Saria. Zelda steered me out of the room, Malon following behind us.

"So Zelda, what are you and Cody going to be doing?" Malon asked us, looking curious.

"The only thing that two people could do at this time of night," she said with a grin, "we are going to train."

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

Saria patted the spot right next to her on her bed. Accepting the invitation, I sat down beside her. Saria remained silent. For some reason, I felt really nervous. What did she want to say to me? It seemed serious.

Saria did not look at me as she asked, "Link, are we friends?"

My head snapped around as I stared at her incredulously, "How could you say something like that! Of course we are!"

Saria took a deep breath before she turned to me and said, "Then why didn't you tell me about what happened in the other timeline?"

I was silent for a minute. I looked her in the eye as I said, "I did not want you to know about that horrible time if you did not need to."

She was silent for just a minute, "Link… It may have been hard for me to hear, but I would rather have heard it from you then for it to just pop back into my head…" she took another breath, "I would have preferred to be there for you."

I nodded to her, "I'm sorry Saria, but…" I paused for a minute, "it is _because_ you are my friend that I did not tell you. I did not want you to needlessly suffer."

After a moment more of silence, Saria grabbed my hand and said, "Promise me something Link."

"Anything."

"If something like that ever happens again, and I don't know about it, or I lose my memory, you have to promise me that you will tell me immediately, no matter how hard it may be for me to hear."

I smiled at her, "If it will make you feel better, then I guess I can tell you everything from now on."

Saria threw her arms around me suddenly, burying her face in my tunic.

"Thank you Link," she whispered.

"_Awwwwww!"_ Ami commented.

Saria pulled away, her face flushed with embarrassment.

She wiped away some tears that had appeared in her eyes, then smiled and asked, "So, anything you think you want to tell me?"

I chuckled to myself, and then abruptly turned serious, "It might take a while."

"We have time."

I sighed, and then began, "Well, when I was travelling through Lost Woods, looking for Navi, I stumbled upon a parallel world called Termina…"

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

We were standing in front of the tree house in the village, Zelda standing a short distance in front of me. Malon had climbed the ladder and was sitting on the porch area of the tree house, her feet dangling over the edge. Our weapons were leaning against the tree. I just had one question: how did I get into this situation!

"Ok Cody Williams," Zelda told me, "I'm going to assume a fighting stance, and you just need to concentrate. You should be able to fight like a Sheikah."

"But aren't the Sheikah like ninjas?" I asked, confused (Impa had looked like a ninja to me), "I don't think fighting like a ninja will be useful when I'm using a long sword."

Zelda gave me a confused look, "What are ninjas? Are they warriors on your world?"

I sighed, "Never mind, it's not important."

"You say the strangest things, Mr. Williams," she said with a giggle. At least I am still amusing… I guess…

She dropped down into a crouch, "Well, do you recognize the stance?"

I rolled my eyes, and then analyzed Zelda's fighting stance. For some reason, though, I could not place it.

I wracked my brain, until the problem popped into my head, "Wait, there's something wrong with your stance."

"Oh?" she said, still smiling, "How about this."

Her stance instantly adjusted and became perfect.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at her, "You did that on purpose didn't you."

Her grin widened.

_Sigh._

"Now Mr. Williams, see if you can perform any of the combat moves without me showing you…"

* * *

><p>We practiced for about two hours. It turns out that once I concentrated on a particular fighting style, I could easily access all knowledge about that style. I was able to perform all the moves (even the more advanced ones) with ease. Zelda was no slouch either. She had a little trouble, but it was almost completely because she had a different body when she last used these moves (magic… it's starting to make my head hurt just thinking about it).<p>

About the time we finished up, Link finally walked up, "Zelda and Malon, you will be sleeping at Saria's place. Cody, you will be at mine."

"Really?" I asked, surprised, "Which one is yours?"

Link pointed up. I looked up to see the tree house.

"Ummm… Will that support our weight?" I asked doubtfully.

Link rolled his eyes at me and said, "We will be getting up at sunrise tomorrow, so don't stay up too much later."

"That's okay," Zelda said, "We were just finishing up anyway. Malon and I will head over to Saria's soon"

Link nodded, "Okay then. Good night."

Link bowed briefly to Zelda and then climbed up the ladder and headed past Malon into his house. Malon jumped down and landed gracefully on her feet.

Zelda turned back to me and said, "I guess that will be all for tonight. We shall continue this at a later time Mr. Williams."

"Please," I said, "Call me Cody. I feel like I'm about to get a lecture every time you call me Mr. Williams."

"I'm sorry… Cody Williams," she said with a smile, "I keep forgetting. I'll try to remember that more in the future. Now if you'll excuse me, I will go retire now."

With that, Zelda turned and headed out towards Saria's house.

As I stared off after her, what was sure to be an incredulous look on my face, Malon giggled behind me, "I think she just likes your last name."

I shook my head, "Mr. Williams is too formal for my tastes. I much prefer to be called Cody, especially among peers," I said as I turned around.

Malon looked confused, "Zelda is a princess though. She's not really a peer is she?"

Oh yeah, I forgot. I thought about that for a few seconds. I guess, technically, it was true, but…

"Well, she's currently a travelling companion. She isn't here to lead. She's here to help us look for the orbs and help us fight," I said with a shrug, "In my opinion that makes her a peer."

"I guess," she said doubtfully.

I shrugged again (I do that a lot), "Well, it _is_ easier for me to think that way since she is not the princess where _I_ come from."

She smiled, "Yeah, guess so."

We lapsed into an awkward silence once again. I was never really good at talking with girls. To be honest, Katie was the only one that I could talk to without any kind of prodding (the only reason I can talk to Zelda is because she talks to me).

"Well, good night Cody," Malon said, and she quickly left for Saria's place.

I stood there for a moment, alone in the quiet village (it must have been past the Kokiris bed time). I let out a deep sigh. My parents have probably figured out by now that I am missing. Will Katie try to call me when I do not show up for school tomorrow? I wonder if there will be a search…

I guess that it does not really matter at this time. The only thing I can do is find those stupid orbs. Once that is done, then I can go home. At least… I hope so…

If I even live to find the orbs…

Shaking off my momentary depression, I grabbed my sword from by the tree and climbed the ladder to Link's house.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next chapter will introduce a new character, as well as reveal the name of a certain individual (three guesses who). Stay tuned :)**


	10. Lost in Lost Woods

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been a little busy lately. I will try to post the next one a little sooner (no promises though).**

**And now, for the new and _very_ cleverly named chapter:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Lost in Lost Woods<strong>

_Cody:_

Link must have a different definition of sunrise. I was thinking sun peeking over the trees. He thought horizon looks infinitesimally lighter than black. Hey, honest mistake right?

I grumbled as I made sure my sword was securely fastened to my belt. I am not what you would call a morning person. And these guys have never even _heard_ of coffee. I am going to have some serious caffeine withdrawals, I just know it.

Everybody was already ready by the time I climbed out of Link's tree house. Even Malon had her bow out and her quiver on her back.

"Ready to go, lazy bones?" said Saria cheerfully.

I just nodded, not awake enough to give a verbal answer.

We made our way to the north end of the village and to the entrance of Lost Woods (I had to resist telling them my 'the Lost Woods was not lost because we just found it' joke).

"Okay," Saria said, turning to us, "It's very important that we do _not _get separated. The woods have a way of misleading travelers. If you get separated, we might never find you again."

"I could have gone without knowing that last part, thank you," I said.

"She just said it to impress upon you the importance of sticking together," Link said, sounding annoyed.

"_Sorry_," I said, a little miffed, "I was only joking. You have _no_ sense of humor."

"I _do _have a sense of humor. Yours is just wrong."

If looks could kill, I have a feeling both Link _and_ I would be smoking corpses. Zelda and Malon interposed themselves between us.

"Easy there," Malon admonished, "We're supposed to be working together, remember?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Link could be infuriating at times. What the hell was his problem anyway?

Saria acted as if nothing happened, "Shall we go?"

* * *

><p>It did not take long before I was hopelessly lost (no pun intended). As we moved along, I notice that we would often take completely random turns. Like when we first entered Kokiri Forest, the trees were packed super close together with only tunnels to easily get to each clearing. Why we could not head straight to our destination was beyond me.<p>

Saria led the way, and we followed close behind her. Link was right next to her, with Zelda and Malon behind them, and finally me bringing up the rear. I looked around as we walked. There were fireflies (at least, I think they were) floating around. Each clearing often had something different, which made me wonder how it was possible to get lost at all.

We had been traveling for about thirty minutes when Link held out his hand for us to stop.

Silence reigned for a minute, before I had to ask, "Is something wrong?"

He did not say anything, but he _did_ pull out his sword and ready his shield and get into a fighting stance.

"So I take it that's a yes," I said as I went ahead and pulled my sword from its sheathe. Hey, better safe than sorry right?

Malon had an arrow notched and Zelda went ahead and drew her kodachi as well. Link motioned for Saria to get behind him…

With a loud howl, a creature that looked an awful lot like a werewolf jumped through the trees and went straight for Link. Link was ready however. He held his shield out in front of him and braced.

Luckily, the werewolf was not particularly bright. With a loud *clang* the wolf rebounded off Link's shield with a loud yelp. Link then jumped towards the wolf-thing with a yell and came down on it blade first. Link then back flipped away from the now dead wolf.

Show off…

"What is that thing?" I asked.

"A wolfos," Link replied, "A few roam through Lost Woods."

"Ah, I see," I said.

Before I could come up with a smart ass comment involving Wolfos, more howls tore through the clearing. We all faced different entrances to the clearing as more wolfos came rushing in. From behind us, two more wolfos charged. Readying my sword, I charged at them as well.

Though I had some practice with Sheikah combat, I knew that there was no real way to for me to fight effectively with a long sword while in a Sheikah stance. So I visualized Link's combat stance (I had to flip it in my head because Link was left-handed) and…

A shield burst to life from my left Bracer of Armum as I swung my arm at the nearest wolfos. The wolfos was knocked off course and crashed into the ground behind me. I swung my sword at the other wolfos, but he was a little smarter than the others and stopped just short of my sword. I pressed my attack but he always stayed just one step ahead of me. I could hear the other wolfos struggling to its feet and knew that I did not have much time left. The wolfos in front of me kept backing away…

Changing tactics, I stopped my advance and hung back. Time to let him do all the work.

The wolfos stopped as well. It regarded me for a few seconds, and then charged at me. Right before it got to me, I changed stances, flipping my sword in my hand so that the blade pointed behind me: the Sheikah stance.

It was awkward, but it got the job done. I ducked the first claw swipe, and then slashed with my sword, cutting across the wolfos' chest. I turned the slash into a spin and kept going around, slashing the wolfos that was trying to sneak up behind me.

As the two wolfos that I had just fought fell to the ground, I turned to find that the others were finishing up their fights. Link had taken on three wolfos and was dispatching the last two with a magic powered spin attack (I vaguely remember doing something similar myself). Zelda had taken on two, but apparently had killed one before it even got close using her throwing needles. The other she had killed with her kodachi.

Malon had finished her fight at about the same time as I did. The two wolfos she had taken on were filled full of arrows. There were no arrows in any of the trees. I guess she was not kidding when she said that she was a good archer.

We all went to the center of the clearing, where Saria was waiting, and Link asked, "Is everybody alright?"

Nobody had a chance to reply.

The sound of a slow clap filled the clearing as we all spun around to the source of the sound. As I turned around, I could feel the blood drain from my face as I saw the figure that was all too familiar…

The robed man had revealed himself.

"Bravo," he said in an almost silky smooth voice, "Just what I would expect from the Heroes of Time and Dimensions."

From what little of his face that was exposed, I could tell that he was smiling. Fear gripped me as I realized that I was the one closest to the mad man.

He turned to smile at me, "Ah Cody! How wonderful to see you alive!" he bowed to me, "I thought I would not get a chance to actually fight you."

The fear I had was instantly replaced with rage. Flipping the sword in my hand back into the proper position, I charged at the robed man, screaming at him.

"Cody! Wait!" Link tried reach for me but he was too far away to stop me.

I closed the distance quickly. I raised my sword getting ready to slash the horrid man in front of me…

The robed man lazily held out his hand, and a ball of energy flew from his hand. I was so surprised that I did not have time to block the attack. The energy ball connected with my stomach, and I was thrown like a ragdoll to the other end of the clearing. I slammed into a tree, and collapsed to the ground, the wind knocked out of me.

The robed man sighed, "Now, now. That wasn't very nice, Cody," he reprimanded me, "I was not done talking."

I tried to snarl at him but all that came out was a wheeze. I really hated this guy.

Link moved to the front of the group, a dangerous look in his eyes. He had his sword at the ready, energy charged into the blade.

"Who are you and what do you want!" Link snarled.

"Oh, that's right!" the robed man slapped his head as if the thought just slipped his mind, "How rude of me!"

The robed man bowed, "My name is Malgum. It's very nice to meet you."

"I can't say it's been the same for me," Zelda said, a ball of fire appearing in her hand.

Link started slowly approaching Malgum, "Malgum huh," Link said, an almost feral smile appearing on his face, "Good to know. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna have to put a stop to you right this instance."

Malgum sighed again, "Sorry, but I'm on a tight schedule. I only wanted to stop by and say hello. Oh…" he said as an after thought, "I also wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine. I'm sure you will just love her!"

The shadows seemed to envelope him as he delivered his final message, "Don't play _too_ hard. I'm not finished with you yet."

He disappeared into shadows.

The clearing was deathly silent. Ami was bouncing around nervously. Link, Zelda and Malon had their weapons readied and were looking around cautiously. I was busy using trying to pull myself to my feet. I was still having trouble breathing…

A loud screech filled the air. Ami immediately fled into Saria's hair. Link, Zelda and Malon spun around towards where the sound came from as I finished pulling myself shakily to my feet.

Something flew quickly over the clearing. It moved too fast for us to see. We waited for a minute, knowing that whatever that thing was would be back…

We did not have to wait long. Another screech echoed through the woods, and something flew into the clearing.

Powerful wings kicked up a strong wind. Dust was kicked up everywhere. A humanoid creature with giant wings for arms and sharp talons stared down at us. The creature was covered in feathers, and though it had a humanoid face, instead of a mouth, it had a beak. Its head was bald. The harpy like creature had a fearsome look on its face as it let out another screech.

"_Oh no!_" Ami exclaimed from underneath Saria's hair, "_It's the guardian of the Wind Temple: Aviosis! What's _it_ doing here!_"

"Wait a minute. There's a Wind Temple!" Link asked incredulously.

"Not to break up this wonderful discussion," Zelda said, much calmer than she had any right to be, "But shouldn't we be doing something?"

Aviosis turned to look at me. With a shriek, it charged at me. I held up my bracer and the shield formed, but I was having trouble concentrating through the pain. The shield was flickering as Aviosis made contact. The shield easily shattered and Aviosis grabbed me with her talons. She gripped me hard, drawing blood. I could barely keep hold of my sword, but my arm was trapped against my side, and I was unable to strike her.

"Cody!" I heard Malon scream as with one final shriek, Aviosis tossed me through one of the tunnels into a different part of the woods…

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

We watched in horror as Aviosis tossed Cody through one of the tunnels.

"Cody!" Malon shouted once again and tried to run after him.

Zelda grabbed Malon's arm though and yanked her back, "You can't. They call this Lost Woods for a reason. Go after him and you will be lost too!"

"But…"

"We'll find him…" I said roughly as I grabbed Saria around her waist and threw her over my shoulder (she did not seem to like that very much).

Aviosis was preparing to charge again, so I started shoving Zelda and Malon through one of the exits. Aviosis screeched, and then began to follow us at high speed.

We ran straight, hoping that Aviosis would get lost. But she was so close that there was no way we could lose her. And on top of that, she was gaining.

Malon abruptly turned around and quickly fired off an arrow. Aviosis stopped suddenly and began flapping her wings really hard. An extremely strong gust of wind knocked the arrow off course. It also had the effect of knocking Malon down.

I stopped running and handed Saria off to Zelda.

"What are you planning!" Zelda asked over a squirming Saria.

"Don't know yet. I'm making it up as I go!" I shouted as I drew my sword and charged Aviosis.

Malon was scrambling to her feet as Aviosis charged at her. There was no way Malon was going to get away before Aviosis got to her…

I jumped in front of Malon and swung my sword, unleashing energy with my swing. Aviosis barely got out of the way in time. She spun around near the edge of the clearing and screeched angrily.

I charged energy into my blade once again and waited, just daring her to come and get me. Malon stood behind me, with an arrow trained on Aviosis. Off in the distance, I saw that Zelda had put Saria down and had summoned a fireball once again.

Aviosis looked to each of us with our weapons and magic at the ready. With one last angry screech, she flew straight up into the air and out of sight. We were silent for a few minutes, holding our breath and waiting. After we were sure that Aviosis was gone for good, we all breathed a sigh of relief as we relaxed our guards.

Saria and Zelda ran towards me and Malon as I sheathed my sword.

"Are you guys alright?" Saria asked, concerned.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"We have to go find Cody," Malon said adamantly.

"It will take hours though," I said, "We don't have the time."

"We can't just leave him out here!"

"We won't," Saria said, "Right, Ami?"

Saria's fairy finally flew out from under Saria's hair, "_Um, what do you mean?_"

"Can you please look for Cody?"

"_But,_" Ami said, sounding concerned, "_I'm supposed to be your guardian!_"

"I know," Saria said, "But we need Cody's help. Besides," she looked at me, "Link can protect me while you're gone."

Ami was silent for a moment, before she replied, "_Ok. I'll find him and be sure to lead him back to safety,_" she glowed brighter for a second, "_You can count on me!_"

Saria beamed at Ami, "Thanks a lot!"

Ami nodded at Saria, and then rushed off into the woods.

We watched for a minute after Ami's quick departure, and then I said, "Well, we need to get going. We have to find that orb as soon as possible."

Saria nodded, "Just give me a few minutes to get my bearings, then we'll be on our way."

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

It took me a minute before I came to. I shakily pulled myself to my feet. My whole body ached and I felt like I went ten rounds with a champion boxer that was wearing brass knuckles (I feel that I am entitled to some exaggeration). I looked around the clearing, but it did not seem distinguishable from the last clearing I had been in when I had been attacked.

Lying on the ground near me was my sword. With a sigh, I picked it up and sheathed it. I was a little disappointed that it did not give me an energy boost like it did the first couple of times I touched it, but I guess it is true when they say that you cannot always get what you want.

I looked around again, but I could not tell which tunnel I had come in from.

"Hello!" I called out, hoping that the others might hear me.

The only thing I heard was the echo.

With a sigh, I picked a random direction (I always go with Mo) and started walking.

For about five minutes, I kept walking forward hoping that I might come across a clearing that I recognized, but to no avail.

I was about to give up when I came across a very familiar clearing. I walked to the middle of the clearing and inspected some imprints on the ground…

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

This was the same clearing that I was tossed in by Aviosis. But that could not be possible. I walked in a straight line. There was absolutely no way that I could have wound up back here.

I fell to my knees, despair overtaking me. I guess this is what they mean by Lost Woods.

As I sat there, I sighed. I am not going to die from some psycho trying to kill me or some angry monster; I am going to die from lack of food in a magical wood.

My life truly does suck…

"How the hell am I going to get out of this mess," I said, feeling dejected.

"_I could help you,_" said a quiet voice.

I was instantly on my feet, turning around and trying to find the source of the voice, but I could not find it.

"Did I just imagine that?" I asked out loud.

"_N-no. You didn't imagine it._"

This time, the voice came from right behind me. I spun around and came face to face with a glowing green orb.

"_ACK!"_ I yelled out (I cannot believe that I just said 'Ack!') and fell down on my ass (again).

The orb squealed, and then flew off at high speed towards the edge of the clearing, hiding behind a tree.

As I sat there, trying to bring my heart rate down to a reasonable pace, I realized that the orb was a fairy (some hero I am turning out to be). And it said it could help me…

"I'm sorry," I called out to it, "I was just startled. I didn't mean to scare you."

The little fairy peeked cautiously peeked out from behind the tree. She did not say anything.

"My name is Cody," I said, trying to sound as gentle as possible, "You said you can help me?"

The little fairy started making her way back to the middle of the clearing, but she was flying incredibly slowly. I guess I startled her more than I realized.

Not sure what the proper etiquette for greeting a fairy was, I held out my hand and hoped she would get my meaning, "Can I please ask for your help?"

The little fairy stopped next to my hand. Though I could not see it, I felt her touch my finger.

I do not know how, but I knew that she had turned her head to look directly into my eyes, "_My n-name is Via._ _I'm pleased to make y-your acquaintance._"

I smiled at her, "I take it you're shy?"

Via immediately let go of my finger and floated back a few feet. Her green glow briefly changed to a light pink color before changing back to green. Did she just blush?

"_I'm not _that_ s-shy,_" she complained.

I just chuckled, "It's okay. Nothing to be ashamed about."

We sat there for a few minutes feeling awkward (I know _I_ was feeling awkward), before I finally cleared my throat and asked, "So, are you going to help me out?"

Via mumbled something, then shook herself and said, "_Y-yeah. I'll lead you out of Lost Woods._"

"Actually," I interrupted real quick, "I need you to take me to the Forest Temple."

As much as I hated the idea of going to the Forest Temple alone, I needed that orb to be able to get back to Earth.

"_The Forest Temple!_" Via exclaimed, her wings flapping faster in her anxiety, "_But the Forest Temple has been real dangerous as of late! Wolfos are protecting the Sacred Forest Meadow in greater numbers today!_"

Figures…

"I know it might be dangerous," I said, "But I have no choice. I have to go get a stupid orb thingy in order to return to my world."

Via seemed to glow a little brighter, "_You… You can't return home?_"

I shook my head, "No, not until I get all of the orbs."

Via suddenly flew very close to me, "_I'll do whatever I can to help you,_" she said, suddenly sounding excited.

She flew past me, and I spun around to see her bouncing around the exit to the clearing that was behind me, "_Please, follow me!_"

I grinned at the fairy, and then ran after her as she went through the tunnel.

* * *

><p><em>Ami:<em>

I floated there, completely shocked by what I just saw.

Via, _the_ Via, shyest fairy in the forest, had willingly talked with somebody she had never met before. She even went so far as to offer her help in leading Cody to the Forest Temple.

What the heck is going on here?

I shook myself, and then flew off after them…


	11. Going Up

**Chapter 11: Going Up**

_Link:_

After another half hour, we finally made it to the Sacred Forest Meadow. As we entered, I immediately noticed that there was something amiss.

"Saria, stay close to me," I said as I drew my sword.

"What's the matter Link?" asked a bewildered Malon.

"Too quiet."

Saria nodded her head, "Yeah, there's usually a lot more noise than this…"

Saria was interrupted by several loud howls.

"You were saying?" Zelda asked as she drew her kodachi with one hand and lit a fireball in the other.

Several wolfos sprung forth from the shrubs in front of us, snarling and snapping their jaws. We were turning to face them when I heard Saria gasp. I looked behind us to see more wolfos coming into the Sacred Forest Meadow.

We were surrounded.

"Now what!" Malon shouted as she notched an arrow and aimed for the wolfos coming into the meadow.

"Bet you're wishing you hadn't come along now, aren't you?" I said as I turned to face the wolfos in front of us.

"Quit gloating and start fighting," Zelda ordered.

At that moment, all the wolfos lunged at once…

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

"_We're almost t-there. H-hurry!_"

I had to run to keep up with the exited fairy. We were going through the forest at an incredible speed. To my great surprise though, I was not running out of breath. I was still having trouble believing that the Dimensional Sword gave me a boost to my strength and stamina. I guess if anybody needed it, it was definitely me.

All of a sudden, Via came to a sudden halt in front of one of the tunnels, "_If you go through this tunnel, you will r-reach the Sacred Forest Meadow. At the end of that is the F-forest Temple._"

I nodded at the little fairy, "Thank you very much Via. I would have been lost for some time if it was not for you."

Via was silent for a little bit, then asked, "_Where d-did you get that s-sword?_"

"This?" I said, grabbing my sword hilt. Why would a fairy be curious about a sword?

"I got it in the Temple of Light," I said as I let go of the sword, "Why do you ask?"

"_Well…_"

Before she could answer, a loud ruckus carried through the tunnel. We both spun toward the sound. Howls and the sounds of battle could be heard through the clearing.

I guess they got there ahead of me.

I froze as I heard all the howls. There definitely were a lot of wolfos in there. And while I had mostly recovered from getting tossed by Aviosis, I was still a little rattled and did not relish the idea of wading directly into another battle…

I was broken out of my thoughts by Via as she started bouncing frantically in front of my eyes, "_Aren't you going to help?_"

"Oh… right."

I drew my sword and without further ado, charged through the tunnel.

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

I dispatched another wolfos, but whenever one went down, three more seemed to replace them. We were surrounded on all sides, forced into a tight circle. Saria stood in the middle, unable to do anything but watch in terror as the wolfos attempted to overrun us.

To my left, I saw Zelda shoot a fireball version of Din's Fire at one wolfos while simultaneously slashing at another wolfos that got too close. Malon was doing her best to keep the wolfos around her at bay as best she could with only her bow and arrows.

"There's too many!" Malon shouted as she dropped another wolfos. They were getting closer and closer to her.

Less and less wolfos were appearing, but it was starting to look bad for Malon. I could not help her because I would be leaving Saria completely undefended, and Zelda was also too indisposed to be of much help. I was almost frantic as I tried to kill the wolfos around me but there was no way I could kill them quickly enough.

Behind me, I could hear the wolfos closing in on Malon. I had just run another wolfos through when I heard a shout behind me.

I turned my head just in time to see a wolfos knock Malon down to the ground. Even if I made my move now, there was no way I would get to her in time. Two more wolfos charged me, and with a loud curse, I was forced to take care of them.

The wolfos standing over Malon raised a claw into the air, ready to strike…

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

I rushed into the meadow, and beheld a gory sight.

The first little area of the meadow was filled with the corpses of several wolfos, and even more living ones.

But what immediately caught my eye was the wolfos that had just knocked over Malon.

All of my previous hesitation went sailing out the window as I charged at the wolfos. I was not going to let anything happen to one of the few friends that I had made in this world.

The wolfos raised his claw, ready to strike…

I grabbed the wolfos by the shoulder and shoved my sword through its back.

The wolfos gurgled as I twisted the blade, then I removed my sword and tossed its body to the side.

I looked down at Malon as she laid on her back, "You all right?"

Malon answered by notching another arrow and firing it right past me. I whipped around to watch the path of the arrow that had come uncomfortably close to hitting me… and saw it hit the wolfos that was sneaking up on me.

Malon looked back at me with a grin, "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

I seriously need to pay more attention to what is going on around me.

I quickly pulled Malon to her feet and we got back to back as the wolfos started surrounding us.

"I'm thinking we have some things to deal with before we can talk," Malon said as she notched another arrow.

"I concur," I said, twirling my sword (when did I start doing that!), "time to get to it."

Between me, Malon, Zelda, and Link, we were able to take care of the wolfos in no time. As I gazed around at the carnage, I was reminded once again of the lizard monster I had felled in the Temple of Light. Just like there, the wolfos here were trying to kill me. I did not feel as guilty this time around though, but the wolfos here did not seem to have human like thoughts and emotions, which made dealing with them easier.

Of course, looking around at the mess in the meadow still made me feel a little queasy.

Malon dropped her bow and rushed over to me, "I'm so glad you're okay!" she said as she grabbed me in a fierce hug.

I could feel my face heating up. I had never been in a situation like this before. _And she smells so nice too…_

We heard someone clear their throats. Malon backed away from me fast, her face just as red as I was sure mine was. We both spun around to see Zelda and Saria grinning while Link just looked embarrassed.

"What?" Malon said, a little defensively, "I was just happy to see that he was alright is all. It doesn't mean anything…"

"Just keep telling yourself that?" Zelda said teasingly.

"So Cody," said Saria, coming to our rescue, "I take it Ami found you?"

"Actually," I said as I looked around, "Another fairy found me."

I looked around, trying to find Via. I frowned when I could not find her, "Um… I guess she did not come in here with me."

"_Actually,_" said a voice that had came from behind me, "_She's hiding._"

We turned around to see Ami floating at the entrance to the meadow.

"Ami! So you did find him?" Saria asked, starting to look confused.

"_I found him, but I was not the first,_" she said, "_the one who led him to this place is still here though._"

"She is?" I said.

I looked around and called out, "Via! Come on out! I'd like to introduce you to everyone!"

"Did you just say Via?" Saria asked, confused.

"Yeah," I said, not noting the tone of Saria's voice, "Via!"

"_That won't work,_" Ami stated simply.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"_You see, there's too many people around,_" Ami said, rotating once to emphasize all of us standing in the meadow, "_and she's _extremely _shy._"

Ami floated right up next to me, "_Maybe you should check your hood,_" she suggested.

I suddenly understood. I grabbed my hood and pulled it so that I could peer into it. Sure enough, Via, currently glowing a very bright pink, was hiding in my hood, and she seemed to be attempting to burrow even deeper into the fabric.

"Come on out Via," I said as gently as possible, "I promise that there is nothing to be afraid of. Everyone here is a friend."

I made eye contact with Link, "More or less."

Link rolled his eyes at me.

Via's color slowly faded back to green as she cautiously peeked out of the hood. Malon and Zelda waved cheerily, Link looked on curiously, and Saria just looked confused.

"Is that really you Via?" Saria asked.

Via ducked back into my hood briefly, before she peeked back out at Saria and nodded (at least, I think she nodded).

"_It sure is!_" Ami said excitedly as she took her place by Saria's side, "_She actually spoke to Cody _first_!_"

Via turned pink again and ducked back into my hood, this time refusing to come out.

With a sigh, I put my hood back into place, "I'm sure she'll warm up to everyone eventually," I said with a shrug.

And I thought that _I_ was shy…

"Well," Link said shaking his head (I thought I saw a smile on his face as well), "I'm guessing we should head on up to the Temple of the Forest now…"

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

The maze had been completely cleared out. All the mad scrubs must have fled when the wolfos took over. Thankfully, we did not run into any moblins.

We finally made it to the entrance of the Forest Temple by noon. Due to all the attacks, the trek had taken much longer than usual. As with the last time I was here, the temple was inaccessible. Luckily, I still had the Hookshot I had picked up in Termina (it seemed to be just as good as the Longshot that I had picked up in the alternate timeline, and it could still hold my weight to boot), but that still left everyone else…

"So," Cody said as he looked up at the temple entrance, "I guess the caretaker has been lazy?"

I rolled my eyes, "We can still get up there. We're just going to have to get a little creative."

I pulled out my hookshot and shot at the tree hanging over the remains of the stairs. The hook lodged into the tree, and I was pulled up onto the ledge.

I turned around and tossed the hookshot at Cody (who almost dropped it), and said, "Just point and shoot. Easy."

We each came up one at a time (Zelda and Saria came up at the same time), and we turned to face the temple.

"Seeing as you have been here before," Cody began, "What do you think we should expect?"

"Anything," I answered. I then walked into the temple.

* * *

><p>We made our way through the first room and the hallway without coming across any monsters. It was way too quiet. I had never seen any temple that was this empty of monsters or enemies.<p>

We made it to the central chamber which had the elevator and the torches. I half expected the Poe Sisters to pop up and steal the flames once again, but it did not happen. They must have abandoned the temple as well. As we made it to the elevator, Saria suddenly came to a stop. She was surrounded by a brief green glow before she snapped out of it.

"I think we need to take the elevator."

"Do we have to go to the final chamber?" I asked.

"No," Saria said, "We have to go up."

"Up?" Cody asked, "There's nothing up there, except a stone ceiling."

I looked up as well and discovered that Cody was right. Unless…

I pulled out my Lens of Truth that I received in Termina and looked through it at the ceiling. Sure enough, there was a hole in the ceiling directly above the elevator.

"There appears to be a secret chamber above us," I said as I put the lens away, "but how do we get up there. From what I remember, the elevator only goes down."

Saria looked thoughtful, "I think if me and Zelda combine our power…"

"Then we could reverse the magic on the elevator!" Zelda said exited, "Brilliant, Saria!"

Saria smiled, obviously proud of herself.

Malon, Cody, and I all stood back as Saria and Zelda faced the elevator. They held hands (they looked almost like mother and child) while their outer hands were raised up. A light green ball of energy appeared above them. It swelled up quickly (much quicker than when Zelda opened the Door of Time) and flashed. The elevator briefly glowed green, then returned to normal.

Zelda turned and looked at us, "Well, you guys ready?"

We all piled into the elevator. It was a very tight fit; we could barely fit at all. We all finally got situated and waited… and waited…

And waited…

"Should somebody hit the up button?" Cody asked.

"You know," I said, "Nobody knows what you are talking…"

I was suddenly cut off as the elevator shot violently for the ceiling. It passed into the hidden opening and kept going, picking up speed. Before long, we were blinded by sunlight as the elevator shot out of the temple and kept going up. It was not long before we could see the entire forest below us.

I turned to see that all the color had drained out of Cody's face, and he had a death grip on the side of the elevator.

"You okay?" I asked with some concern.

Cody nodded, his face starting to turn a little green, "Just not a big fan of heights."

"Huh," I said, intrigued, "You did not seem to have a problem when you used the hookshot."

"That was not all that high, this however," he said looking around at the huge expanse of forest spread out below us, "is a little different."

The elevator started slowing down. I looked up around the ceiling of the elevator… and saw a giant building floating in the sky. We were so high up, it would probably only appear as a dot up in the air. We were heading towards a hole in the bottom of the building above us. After another few seconds, we came through the hole and wound up in the building.

Or what was left of it. The building only had some standing walls, and there was no ceiling at all. We stepped out of the elevator and looked around.

"Man," Cody said, looking around, "Finding the orb in this place is going to be a nightmare."

"Yeah," I said looking around at the debris lying everywhere, "Saria, do you happen to have any leads?"

But there was no answer…

I spun around to find that Saria was still in the elevator, collapsed on the ground. Ami was frantically trying to wake her. All the color had drained out of her face and her breathing was extremely shallow.

I was over in a flash, and I cradled her in my arms, "Saria!"

Everyone else also gathered around, looks of horror on their faces.

"What's wrong with her?" Cody asked, sounding alarmed.

As I held her, I cursed as I remembered something that was extremely important, "We are no longer in the forest."

"Of course not," Cody said, sounding irritated, "We're miles above…"

He stopped, his face becoming almost as pale as Saria's as he came to the same conclusion that I had.

The Kokiri can not take a step out of the forest…

Saria was dying.

"How long does she have?" said Cody, completely serious.

Ami answered, "_According to what I know, any Kokiri that steps out of the forest is supposed to die instantly! I don't know why Saria is even still breathing!_"

How could I have been so stupid…

As I held her, Zelda quickly got on her knees across from me.

"Hand her to me, Link," she said.

I did as she asked, and Zelda held Saria close. Zelda closed her eyes and began to mumble something that I could not hear…

Zelda and Saria were surrounded in an aura of light. Without opening her eyes, Zelda said, "I can prolong her life, but not for long. You must hurry and find the orb."

"No! We should leave! NOW!"

"The elevator requires both me and Saria to operate," Zelda said, her voice pained, "We could leave now, but we would never be able to get the orb. We _must_ find it."

Damn. I wish we did not have to gamble with Saria life, but…

I was instantly on my feet as I turned to face Malon and Cody, "We need to move now, quickly!"

Malon nodded and turned around…

Cody on the other hand was already half way to the room's exit (he is prompt, I will give him that).

Cody was almost to the door when we heard a familiar shriek fill the air. A large blur slammed into the ground right in front of Cody, sending him flying back a few feet. I had the Master Sword already unsheathed as Malon notched an arrow into her bow. Cody has already sprung to his feet and was drawing the Dimensional Sword as well.

Aviosis peered down angrily at Cody, spreading its wings and trying to look threatening.

"I don't have time for you, you overgrown turkey!" Cody shouted at Aviosis as he charged.

"Cody don't!" I shouted, but it was too late.

Cody launched himself from a piece of rubble at the large bird-like creature.

Aviosis kicked up a violent gust that slammed into Cody and sent him flying.

"Cody!" Malon screamed as Cody was sent flying over the wall…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Poor Cody seems to be spending a lot of time being sent on involuntary flights.**

**Boss fight coming up next time. Stay tuned ;).**


	12. Guardian of the Winds: Aviosis

**A/N: I apologize for the long delay. I had originally planned on getting this out much, much sooner, but life came… saw… and kicked my (*We are experiencing some technical difficulties. We apologize for the inconvenience*).**

**Anyway, without further ado, I present the first true boss fight of Ocarina of Dimensions.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Guardian of the Winds: Aviosis<strong>

_Cody:_

I remember times in my life where I would imagine soaring through the clouds under my own power. I would imagine the wind rushing through my hair, the ground far below, maybe even a cliché song like "I Believe I can Fly" playing in the background.

Of course, the only sound that could be heard through the rushing air was my screams as I flew over the ruins of what I figured must be the Wind Temple. It is not a pleasant experience to see the world splayed out below you and know that you do not have any kind of parachute.

As I flew, I noticed that I was heading to a different part of the temple The room I was heading toward also did not have a ceiling, and the wall on the side I was heading towards had collapsed. I felt myself fill with a brief hope. Maybe I would not be dying today! This hope was shattered when I realized how fast I was flying toward this section of the temple. I had absolutely no way to slow myself down (not that I would have had the presence of mind to do anything about it if I did have a way).

Flying at high speed, I slammed into the ground with tremendous force. I felt bones snap as I rolled along the ground. I finally slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room, hitting my head on the hard stone.

I could not move. I felt something warm and wet on my head, but I could not move my hand to see what it was.

My vision was fading…

The whole world went black…

_Cody…_

Something was calling my name, but I did not want to listen…

_Cody…_

Seriously, I was feeling extremely comfortable right now, why did it want to disturb my rest…

"_Cody! Please wake up!_"

I could barely make out a familiar voice, but I could not answer it. If only it would let me sleep…

All of a sudden, I felt as if my body was enveloped in a warm light. The sensation was very pleasant. I felt as light as a feather as the feeling of warmth grew…

Until my whole body felt as if it was lit on fire. I screamed in agony as all of my pain returned to me at once. I could feel something strange happening. My bones snapped back into place. Torn skin stitched itself back together. As my wound healed, the pain started receding…

The pain finally ceased all together. I laid there on the ground, sweating and panting as if I had just run a marathon. I tested my limbs to find that I could indeed move them. My hand immediately went to the back of my head. I brought my hand around to where I could see it and saw that it was covered with blood… my blood…

I shivered as I saw it. Did I almost die! For that matter, how am I still alive!

"_Are you okay?_" a quiet voice asked next to me.

I shifted my head to see who had spoken beside me… and was instantly on my knees as I saw Via lying on the ground next to me.

Her green glow was considerably less than what I had seen on any fairy before. I could almost make out the humanoid figure that the wings were attached to.

"Am _I _okay," I said a little incredulously, "What about you!"

Via's glow briefly turned pink before she answered me, "_Don't worry, I just n-need a little rest. You were the one who w-was injured._"

I looked at her in awe as I began to understand what had just happened, "Did… did you heal me?"

"_Yeah,_" she said as I saw her move into what I assumed was a sitting position (glow was still too bright to tell for sure), "_Many fairies h-have the ability to heal. I'm just one of the few who can sur-survive the process._"

So, fairies die when they heal people? I was touched that she was willing to risk her life for someone she had just met.

I scooped Via up into my hands and brought her to eye level, "So, are you _sure_ you're okay?"

Via turned pink in my hands and said, "_Y-yeah. Thanks._"

"Do you need me to carry you for a while?" I asked. The little fairy had saved my life. I had to do something to help her out.

"_Don't worry,_" she said as I felt her stand in my hands, "_I'm f-feeling better. I should be able to just r-ride in you're hood._"

Well, she did appear to be a little bit brighter. It was nearly impossible to make out her figure underneath the glow anymore.

"If you say so," I said as I moved her so that she could hop into my hood.

When I felt the hood move a little (she was so light, I could not really feel her weight), she said to me, "_Before you go b-back to the others, you should open th-that chest over there._"

"Huh," I said, looking around real quick. Sure enough, on the other side of the 'room' was a large wooden chest. I had not noticed on my flight into the room.

Could you blame me?

I got to my feet and walked over to the chest. The wood was rotted, as if it had been rained on a lot. Even if the chest happened to be locked, I could probably force it open real easily.

The chest was not locked, however. The lid broke off and landed behind the chest with a loud crash. I peered into the chest to see what could possibly be in there. Was it treasure? The orb? Winning lottery tickets?

My strange fantasies subsided as I saw the contents at the bottom of the chest. I reached in… and pulled out a pair of leather boots. Plain old leather boots. In fact, they looked almost exactly like the boots that Link wore. The only distinguishable feature on these boots was lightning shaped symbols stitched into the sides of the boots. As I looked at them, I realized that they were about my size.

For some strange reason, I was overcome by the urge to put them on. I tried to come up with reasons not to obey this feeling, but to be honest, I figured that these boots would probably be better for the amount of walking that I was going to have to do. Besides, my shoes were already a little on the old side. And these boots looked like they were in pristine condition (despite the fact that I had found them in a rotted chest).

I took my shoes off and put them into the Infinity Bag. I then pulled the boots on. As I had suspected, they did indeed fit me as if they were made for me. They were also surprisingly comfortable.

"I guess it's time to get going now, what do you say Via?"

"_Yeah!_ _W-we need to go back and help them fight A-Aviosis!_" she said.

It was strange how the fairies seemed to know who that harpy thing was. I decided not to question it and started heading back…

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

"Cody!" Malon screamed as Cody was sent flying over the wall…

She stood there in shock, not noticing that Aviosis had started to charge.

"Look out!" I shouted as I shove Malon out of the way. I barely brought my shield around in time to block her attack.

Aviosis hit me with such force that I slid back a good distance. I managed to stay on my feet though, which caused Aviosis to become even angrier (as if she was not angry enough). She started beating her wings furiously, bombarding me with powerful blasts of wind. I was steadily being pushed toward the edge. Oh, what I would not give to have my iron boots right now…

Aviosis suddenly abandoned her attack on me and quickly spun around and sent a gust of wind at the arrow that had come dangerously close to hitting her. Malon notched another arrow while Aviosis glared at her. I noticed that Malon was running dangerously low on ammo. I was surprised that she had not run out yet.

As Aviosis prepared her attack, I sheathed my sword and pulled out my own bow. I aimed at Aviosis and decided to try something. I concentrated some magic into my arrow, and it started to glow with a golden light…

As she knocked away another of Malon's arrows, Aviosis finally noticed what I was doing. She turned quickly to face me as I let loose my Light Arrow.

Like with Malon's arrows, Aviosis attempted to knock it away with a wind blast…

"Malon! Cover your eyes!" I shouted as I raised my arm up to shield my eyes.

Even with my eyes covered and closed, light still bled through my eyelids. I heard a loud shriek from the suddenly blind Aviosis. I notched another arrow and this time lit it on fire. I let it loose while Aviosis was still flying around blind.

She had regained some of her sight and attempted to knock the arrow off course, but she missed. The arrow lit some of her flight feathers on fire. Aviosis shrieked in pain as she furiously flapped her wings to put out the fire.

Though the fire went out relatively quickly, her wing was now too damaged to keep her aloft. She landed on the ground, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

I drew my sword with my left hand, and with my right, I gestured to her to come to me. With a loud shriek of rage, she charged at me…

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

I hurried as fast as I could to get back to the front of the temple. I could hear fighting going on and knew that I had to help somehow. Unfortunately, due to the poor shape of the temple, it was slow going. Many of the rooms had holes in the floor that led to the forest below. Some rooms did not have floors at all, forcing me to backtrack and find another way.

I was starting to get a little frantic when Via suddenly shouted, "_Stop!_"

I came to a halt as the little green fairy shot in front of me. Apparently, she had already recovered (I guess fairies are resilient).

"_I s-sense something in the room to the east!_"

"Could you clarify?" I asked, "I don't know which direction is east."

Via darted over to the door that was on my right (figures I was facing north) and started bouncing around excitedly, "_I sense something of great p-power. Maybe it's what you're l-looking for?_"

I could still hear the sounds of combat nearby. I could not have been more than a room away from them. I was torn by indecision. If Via was right, then I could get the orb, and we could high-tail it out of here and hopefully save Saria. However, the overgrown harpy could be finishing Link, Zelda and Malon off now.

"_Hurry Cody!_"

I decided that it was worth the risk. They should be able to handle themselves. Besides, Aviosis would probably just toss me again (she seemed to love doing that to me…).

I ran through the doorway, Via close on my heels (or should I say shoulder since she flies).

The room looked as if it was once magnificent. But years of decay and erosion had stripped the chamber of its former glory. The floor seemed to be intact, but as with the rest of the temple, the ceiling was gone. At the opposite end of the once great chamber, there stood a statue that was completely intact. The statue was small. It stood on a pedestal that put the statue about a foot below my height. The statue looked to be that of a bird's talon. The claws curved inward, grasping something. The object that was being held by the statue…

Was a little green glowing orb, similar to the Orb of Light that Link had received from Rauru.

"Sweet," I said with a relieved grin. Finally! Something is actually going right!

I ran to the statue to get the orb…

"_Cody! Watch out!_"

I barely managed to roll out of the way before a dark energy blast hit the spot right in front of the statue. I drew my sword and turned to look at my foe…

I felt the blood drain from my face as I saw the robed man, Malgum, floating in the air near the statue.

"Now Cody," he said as if he was scolding a child for some minor misbehavior, "You know that you can't get the orb _that_ easily."

I swore. Malgum knows of our plan! That cannot possibly be good.

I got into a ready stance as Via flew behind me to hide. Malgum chuckled at us.

"Oh come now, you can't possibly think that you can defeat me as you are now."

I felt a brief spasm of fear, but I quashed it as I tightly gripped my sword, "Only one way to find out."

From what I could see, he did not have the Sword of Darkness yet, which meant that I could beat him. At least, I hoped that I could beat him.

Malgum just floated there. From what little I could see of his face, I could tell that he was smiling.

Because he was out of reach, I did the only thing that I could think of in that situation. I made a break for the orb. Malgum immediately retaliated by shooting energy beams at me. I threw up my arm and a shield sprang forth. The energy beams smashed against the shield causing it to shatter. The last few hit me and sent me flying towards the side of the room. Strangely though, it did not hurt quite as much as I expected. The shield must have dissipated most of the energy.

I got to my feet as Malgum sent more energy beams at me. The bracer was sparking, which told me that it still needed time before it could form another shield. I thought about using the other bracer, but an idea popped into my head.

As the energy beam closed in on me, I held my blade in a ready position. Just a bit more…

The energy beams were almost on me. I swung the sword and connected with the beams. The beams ricocheted off my sword and went back to Malgum. Malgum seemed surprised and erected a shield around himself.

While he was busy, I made a dash for the orb. I could tell that Malgum was watching me, and he would be in a position to blast me long before I got to the orb…

For some reason, it felt as if some of my energy was being drained into my new boots. What the…

My speed suddenly tripled, and I was already to the statue before I had time to realize what had just happened. I quickly grabbed the green orb and yanked it from the statue…

I heard the crash as the energy beams collided with Malgum's shield. Malgum looked down at me, and I could tell that he was not happy.

"Well played Cody. But I won't let you win that easily."

He shot just one beam this time. However, he shot it at the floor of the room.

The floor of the entire room crumbled away, and I started to plummet to the forest below…

For the second time in the past thirty minutes, I was once again flying through the air. I had finally gotten hold of an orb, but it looks like I will not have an opportunity to actually celebrate my find…

"_Cody!_"

I looked over to my right to see that Via was flying along side me, "_Cody, use the orb! It's y-your only chance!_"

"What!" I shouted, "How!"

"_It's the Orb of W-winds! It might be able to help!_"

Rauru _did_ say that the orbs could add elemental attributes to our weapons. I do not exactly have anything to lose by trying at this point.

I held the orb to the crystal on my sword. The crystal on the sword pulsed… and absorbed the orb into it.

The blade started to glow green…

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

Aviosis was extremely quick. She slammed into my shield again and again, preventing me from attacking. Malon would fire every now and again, but Aviosis would block the arrow, generating a gust of wind with her good wing. Malon did not have very many arrows left.

All of a sudden, Aviosis ceased her attack and backed away. Wary, I kept my shield up.

Aviosis let out a triumphant shriek as her wing regenerated.

Oh come on!

Aviosis took to the air once again and sent a more powerful gust of wind at me, more powerful then any she had generated before. I was pushed all the way back to the elevator. I risked a glance and saw that Zelda was still holding Saria in her healing embrace, but the light that surrounded them was getting dimmer. We were running out of time…

Aviosis turned on Malon this time and started flapping her wings furiously. Malon fell to the ground and was being steadily pushed back to the wall. I started charging at Aviosis, but I was not sure if I would be able to land a blow at the height Aviosis was currently. The wall behind Malon crumbled.

She was almost to the wall…

The howling of the wind suddenly increased ten-fold, but the sound came from a different direction. Aviosis stopped generating her gusts, looking curiously at the edge directly behind Malon. Malon also glanced behind her as the roar increased to an almost unbearable level…

Cody shot over the edge, the Dimensional Sword pointing down and unleashing a large amount of wind. Cody sailed over the ruined wall and then very gracefully… crashed into the floor.

All of us, including Aviosis, were frozen with shock as Cody swore and pulled himself to his feet.

As Cody got clumsily to his feet, Via flew over the edge and flew straight for Cody's hood. She peeked out and looked around at us all. I guess she was still being shy…

Cody was finally on his feet, and he looked around at all of us, before asking, "So… What did I miss?"

Aviosis gave a loud angry shriek and rose into the air once again. This time, however, she cloaked herself in a wall of wind. The wind was starting to expand out from her. She was trying to knock us off the temple. Cody scrambled away, trying to get away from the encroaching wind. I tried to get closer, but the wind was too strong. Aviosis was about to send us over the edge…

"_Cody!_" Via shouted from the hood of Cody's jacket, "_The Orb of Winds is much more p-powerful than the magic that Aviosis w-wields!_"

"Right," Cody said, stopping and charging energy into the blade. As the blade glowed brighter and brighter, a powerful wind started to circulate around the blade. I watched in fascination as Cody finished charging the blade and swung at Aviosis.

A powerful wind howled from the blade and slammed into the whirlwind that surrounded Aviosis. Cody's attack ripped through Aviosis' wind like it was nothing and slammed into her.

Aviosis fell to the ground, stunned by the sudden attack from her own element.

I did not hesitate. I started running at Aviosis before she even hit the ground and launched myself off a piece of rubble at her. I charged energy into my blade and slashed down with a magic powered jump attack.

My blade sliced off her wing, and she shrieked as the energy coursed through her body.

"Malon!" I shouted, "Now!"

"Oh," Malon said, and then she notched her last arrow, and let it fly.

The arrow buried itself deep into Aviosis' skull, cutting off her shrieks almost instantly. Surprisingly, she stumbled around for a few seconds, before slamming into one of the walls. The wall collapsed under her weight, and I watched as the Guardian of the Wind Temple plummeted to the forest below.

Cody ran over and pulled Malon to her feet. Without letting go of her arm, he started dashing for the elevator. Not needing to be told, I also ran for the elevator.

We all piled in once again, Cody stomping on the elevator floor as if that would speed things up, "Move…" stomp "you…" stomp "piece…" stomp "of…"

Suddenly, and a little violently, the elevator started speeding toward the surface.

I turned to look at Zelda and Saria. Zelda had begun to sweat, and the aura of light around the two of them was almost completely gone. Ami was bouncing around frantically and Malon was gazing at the two, looking as if she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

Cody was staring anxiously at the fast approaching forest.

"Come on, come on…" he kept muttering.

It was not long before we saw the temple racing toward us. Right before we hit it, the elevator started slowing down. After what felt like a lifetime, we finally made it back to the main room of the Forest Temple.

As the elevator came to a stop, Zelda finally collapsed with Saria still in her arms. The aura that had surrounded them was gone.

"I've done all I can," Zelda said, looking pained as she lay there, "but I don't think she's going to make it…"

"_NOOOO!_" Ami wailed as she flew down next to Saria's still face.

I fell down to my knees as I looked on my first and best friend.

She was dying…

And there was nothing I could do. I was the Hero of Time, and I could not do anything…

Malon was leaning on Cody, sobbing into his shoulder. Cody's face seemed impassive, but his hands were balled into fists. This could not be happening. Saria is immortal, she cannot… she cannot… be…

"_Lay her on the ground and get b-back._"

Everyone turned to see the little green fairy floating next to Cody. It was the first time I heard her speak to anyone (other than Cody that is).

"_Please! You m-must hurry! I can save her!_"

Cody's demeanor changed in the blink of an eye, "She's right! She healed me from life threatening injuries; she can do the same here!"

Zelda nodded and laid Saria down gently beside her. I rushed over and helped the weary Zelda to her feet, and we quickly moved away. Everyone stood back as Via flew over to Saria.

I had seen it countless times before. On more than one occasion, a fairy had saved me from almost certain death by sacrificing its own life force to heal me, and Via seemed to be doing it here…

But Cody just said that she healed him before, did he not?

I did not have time to really ponder this as I saw Saria enveloped in a green glow and lifted off the ground. She glowed brighter and brighter, until it was almost too bright to watch. But I refused to look away.

The glow eventually dissipated and Saria was laid gently back on the ground. I notice the somewhat dull glow of Via as she landed beside Saria and collapsed. Cody and I rushed over to check on the two.

The first thing I noticed was that the color had returned to Saria's face. She was breathing steadily as well. I silently thanked Farore as I picked Saria up.

Cody scooped up the little fairy and asked her, "Are you okay? You look worse than before."

At first, Via did not answer. Then she said, albeit weakly, "_Healing two people in such a short time has t-taken it out of me. I'll be f-fine. I just need a lot of r-rest._"

Cody breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked over at Saria, "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah," I said as I looked down at the sleeping form of my best friend, "She's going to be just fine."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Be honest, how many people imagined a heart container flying back over the wall after Aviosis fell?**


	13. After the Storm

**A/N: It's been a while. Between work and an annoyingly bad case of writer's block, I've really slacked when it comes to this story. Rest assured, I do plan on finishing this story, and the adventures of Cody and Link are nowhere near done (though maybe you consider that a bad thing… lol).**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story and liked it enough to add it to their Alert list. I appreciate it a lot.**

**And without further ado, Chapter 13 of LoZ: Ocarina of Dimensions.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: After the Storm<strong>

_Link:_

We made our way back through Lost Woods without incident, Ami leading the way. For some reason, there were no more Wolfos attacks as we made our way back to Kokiri Forest. The wolfos must have left once Cody had gotten his hands on the Orb of Winds.

It was already dark by the time we made it back to the village. We were met at the entrance by Mido, self-proclaimed leader of the Kokiri. When we came into view, a look of horror dawned on his face when he saw the unconscious Saria in my arms.

"What did you _do _to her!" Mido demanded angrily as he ran up to us.

For once, I did not argue with him. I felt as if it _was_ my fault.

"Don't worry Mido, she'll be fine. She just needs some rest," I said as I moved past him.

I could hear him blustering behind me as we all went to Saria's house.

Malon and Zelda waited outside while Cody and I went inside. I gently laid Saria down on her bed and covered her up. Ami floated around worriedly, bouncing nervously around.

"Ami," Cody asked "Is there somewhere I can lay Via for now?"

Ami stopped bouncing for a minute to say, "_There is some spare cloth on the table. She should be fine over there._"

Cody went over to the table to make sure Via got settled in, and I went ahead and left Saria so that she could rest.

"She needs to rest now," Zelda was telling Mido kindly, "She probably does not need to be disturbed…"

"It's okay," I said quickly, "As long as he's quiet. I'm sure Saria would appreciate the company."

Mido looked a little surprised that I so easily let him in. He quickly pushed past me, muttering a "Thanks,' as he went.

As soon as Mido and his fairy went inside, Cody came out, "They're both resting now."

I nodded at him, and without any other words started heading for the tree house. Everybody followed me in silence.

We got to the base of my tree house, I turned around and immediately started questioning Cody, "What happened? How did you get your hands on the Orb of Winds?"

Cody was silent for a minute, surprised by my sudden questions. He then looked down at his feet and said, "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about it…"

"It may be hard," I said, trying not to show my impatience, "but we do need to know."

"Link," Zelda said with a sigh, "You can't make him talk about it if he does not want to."

"Yeah," Malon jumped in, "Does it really matter anyway?"

I guess it really did not matter. To be honest, I am not sure why I keep treating Cody the way I have been. Sure, he can be irritating, and his often negative views were very trying on my patience, but he did get dragged here against his will…

"It's not that I want to hide it," Cody said quickly, "It's just…"

Cody paused for a moment, and then took a deep breath before continuing, "I almost died twice. If Via had not been with me, I…"

He trailed off, unable to continue. His fists were clenched, and he appeared to be trembling.

Cody was supposed to be the same age as me, but right now, he looked like he was nothing more than a small boy. How could someone like this be a hero? It defied all logic.

However, he did master the power of wind in just one go, and he was instrumental in taking down Aviosis. Was I being too hard on him? I had no answer.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, "I guess we all need some rest after that ordeal. We'll get a good night's rest and head to Kakariko in the morning."

"Kakariko?" Malon asked, "Why there?"

"Impa is currently investigating the Shadow Temple based on a hunch," I said, "if we are lucky, Impa has already found the location of the next elemental orb."

Zelda nodded, "Yeah. We might need to all stay at your house tonight Link."

I was a little shocked by this, "Really? Why?"

"It might be a good idea not to disturb Saria at this time," she said, "It might be a tight fit, but we'll manage."

"I think you might be missing the point," I said with a sigh, "I guess we'll have to make do."

Not waiting for an answer, I went ahead and climbed the ladder to my tree house. It had been a long night…

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

Link and Zelda went ahead and climbed the ladder to the tree house, but my mind was abuzz with many disturbing thoughts. There was no way I was going to get any form of rest in the near future.

I turned away and started heading into the village, hoping that I might find a nice, quiet, and private place that I could just sit and think. I did not get very far before I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I spun around to find that Malon had followed me.

"Are you all right?" she asked with concern.

"I'm fine," trying to keep the trembling out of my voice, "just not tired right this second."

Malon just raised her eyebrow at me. I guess she could tell that I was lying.

"Really," I said as I turned around and walked away, "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

"Cody…" she said softly.

I stopped but did not turn around.

"I know you may feel like it doesn't matter," she began, "but you can't keep these things bottled up. It will only cause you to suffer."

I slowly turned around to look at her. She was staring determinedly at me.

She continued, "You don't have to worry. We'll always be willing to help you. Just…"

She shifted her gaze to the ground and took a deep breath before finishing, "don't shut us out…"

_Sounds like something Katie would say…_

I could feel the knot that was in my chest slowly loosen. I took a deep breath to help calm myself.

"I'm… I'm sorry for making you worry," I took another breath, and then took the plunge, "and I wouldn't mind telling you what happened."

Malon looked up and smiled at me, "Of course, you did save my life twice after all."

I shook my head as we started walking, "You already paid me back once, I'm sure that I'll be owing _you_ soon enough anyway."

Malon laughed, "You're probably right."

"Thank a lot," I said, rolling my eyes but still smiling.

As we searched for a more private spot, I could feel the worry and terror of the past two day bleed away…

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

I woke up early, and decided to let the others sleep for now. I snuck out as best as I could. There was not a whole lot of room on the floor to begin with, and Cody, Malon and I took up most of it (I gave the bed to Zelda and opted to sleep on the floor).

I made my way over to Saria's house, but I made sure to take my time. I was feeling a little anxious, afraid to face her.

It only took a minute to get in front of Saria's house. I took a deep breath and went inside.

Saria was already awake, much to my surprise and delight, and she was currently being fussed over by Ami.

Saria saw me and her face lit up with a smile, "Link! For a minute, I was afraid that you and your friends already left!"

"Glad to see you're awake," I said, unable to stop myself from smiling back.

But the smile did not last very long though.

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry for what happened. It's all my fault. I should've…"

"Don't even start," Saria admonished, "I knew that there would be danger when I went, and I accepted that."

"But I should've stopped you from going on the elevator."

Saria sighed, "The elevator would never have gotten you all the way to the Wind Temple without me. If you did not go, then you would not have the Orb of Winds right now."

"I guess," I said dejectedly, "I still feel as if I should have done more to keep you out of danger."

Saria rolled her eyes, "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," she got up out of the bed and stretched for emphasis, "See? Nothing's broken."

I rolled my eyes as I felt my smile return, "Alright, alright. You win."

"Of course," Saria said with a giggle.

At this moment, Cody walked in.

"I thought you'd still be asleep," I said, a little surprised. He had been very reluctant to wake the day before.

Cody shrugged, "I heard you moving around, and thought it might be a good idea to check on Via."

"_About that…_" Ami said suddenly, "_She actually left a couple of hours ago._"

Cody and I were both surprised.

"In her condition!" we both said at the same time.

"_I'm sorry,_" Ami said, sounding contrite, "_I tried to stop her…_"

"Don't worry about it," Cody said, a fake smile on his face, "If she's well enough to fly away, then she's probably okay. I just wished that I had a chance to say goodbye."

"I'm sorry Cody," Saria said, "Via is rather notorious for being extremely shy. In fact, I'm very surprised that she talked to you at all."

"_Yeah,_" Ami said, "_In fact, Via only really ever talked to…_"

Saria shot a look at Ami, causing her to become quiet, but not before I got suspicious.

"Who did she always talk to?"

Saria was silent for a minute, before answering, "Navi…"

I was too shocked to say anything. Hearing Navi's name again brought back all the memories I had of her while we were travelling. To be honest, it was almost painful. But as I thought about it, I realized something.

Navi had never mentioned Via to me…

Why?

Cody watched me for a moment and then looked back to Saria, "I'm glad to see that you are out and about. You had us all worried there for a minute."

Saria smiled, "You don't have to worry about me. I'm tough."

Cody chuckled, "Well, I guess I'll go stretch my legs for a bit. See you guys later."

Cody was almost to the door when he stopped and turned around.

"Say Saria, you wouldn't happen to know about these boot would you?" Cody asked gesturing to his new footwear. I had not even noticed them before.

Saria looked at the boots for a minute with a frown.

"The Pegasus Boots? No," she said, shaking her head, "Much older. I believe you have the Zephyr Boots."

Cody frowned, "I guess the Pegasus Boots are more powerful right? Being newer and all."

Saria shook her head, "No, the Zephyr Boots are definitely more powerful."

"Wait, what?"

Saria had a worried look on her face, "Well, the Zephyr Boots _are_ capable of greater speeds, but the boots have a tendency to…"

"Drain your energy," Cody finished for her, "figures."

Saria smiled once again, "On the bright side, if you can master the power of the boots, you will be able to pull off some truly amazing speed."

"Oh, I guess I have something to look forward to," Cody said with a smile, "Well, see' ya. Glad you're feeling better."

And with that, Cody left the house.

After a moment of silence, Ami said, "_Maybe I should track down Via before you guys leave…_"

"We don't really have the time," I said with a sigh. Not that I did not want a chance to thank her for saving Saria, it was just that we needed to make as much time as possible.

At that moment, Mido burst into the house, "Saria! I heard you were awake!"

Saria seemed surprised by Mido's sudden entrance, "Yeah, but who told you?"

Mido shrugged, "That round-eared guy that just left. I asked him."

Deciding that now would be a good time to leave, I started walking out of the house, "I'll be sure to say goodbye before I leave."

Saria nodded, and then turned back to Mido who was chattering excitedly. I left them to it.

As soon as I stepped outside, Larina and her fairy hurried up to me, "Link! You have to come quick!"

I was immediately on edge, "What is it?"

"The Great Deku Tree wanted to speak to you. He said it was urgent."

I nodded, "Thanks Larina."

I started running as fast as I could for the Deku Tree's meadow. As I ran, I passed Cody.

"Hey! Where's the fire!" Cody called after me.

I ignored him and kept running. I was vaguely aware that Cody was following me at high speed as I made it to the pathway that led directly to the Deku Tree's meadow. We rushed down the path and were in the meadow.

There was not a whole lot in the meadow. There was only one thing in the meadow, and that was the Great Deku Tree himself.

As we made our way into the meadow, the Great Deku Tree finally noticed us, "Ah, Link. I am glad thou couldst make it."

"Is something the matter?" I asked, looking around for a threat.

The Deku Tree seemed a little confused, "No. Why? Is something amiss?"

"Ummm…" I abruptly realized that Larina's excitement was not due to any kind of danger, "I guess not…"

The Great Deku Tree chuckled, "Thou hast nothing to worry about."

Cody stared at the Deku tree for a good while before saying, "Link…"

"Yeah?"

"The tree is talking."

"Yeah."

"Thought I'd let you know."

"Okay."

Now was probably not the time to educate Cody on the Great Deku Tree.

The Great Deku Tree interrupted us, "I know about your quest for the orbs. I heard about it from Ami. I hast a gift for you, in order to make your travels easier."

Light seemed to filter down from the upper branches of the Great Deku Tree. On the ground where the light hit, I watched as what looked like an extremely straight deku stick with lots of strange markings grew out of the ground. I looked up at the Deku Tree questioningly.

"Thou dost have in thy possession the Staff of Sanctuary. If thou thrust the staff into the ground at night, it will repel the Stalchilds."

"Neat," Cody said appreciatively.

He walked over to the staff and picked it up, "I'll go ahead and hold on to it for now."

As he said that, a bag appeared at his side. Cody then proceeded to put the long stick inside. Miraculously, it went all the way inside, even though there was now way that it could fit.

I looked at him questioningly, and he shrugged, "Rauru gave it to me. He called it the Infinity Bag. It can basically hold anything."

Strange. I had a technique that allowed me to store items outside of time, but I did not know that bags could be imbued with a similar power.

"Link."

I turned back to the Deku Tree after he called me.

"Thou hast a long journey ahead of thee. I entreat thee. Be careful."

"I will," I promised, bowing my head to the being who raised me.

"And Cody…"

Cody looked at the Deku Tree, waiting.

"Be sure to look after her on your travels."

Cody seemed as confused by that statement as I did, "Um… sure?"

"I appreciate it," the Deku Tree told him.

I motioned to Cody, and we left the meadow.

Cody looked at me while we walked back to the Kokiri Forest, "Do you know what he was talking about?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea."

As we made our way back to my tree house, Cody asked, "So… is it about time to get ready?"

I nodded, "Yeah, we really need to get going."

Just then, Larina came running up to me once again, "You guys aren't leaving already, are you?"

I smiled apologetically at Larina, "I'm sorry, but we need to get a move on as quickly as possible."

"But…" she looked sad, "You guys did not hang around yesterday. I was hoping that we could all have lunch together."

The look on her face was tearing at my resolve. I looked at Cody and he just shrugged.

I sighed, "Alright. Just quit looking at me like that. You're making me feel guilty."

"Yay!" Larina shouted when I agreed, "Don't worry Link, everyone is going to have a good time!"

With that, she ran off. Cody and I stared off after her for a minute before he turned to me and said, "This is going to take longer than expected, isn't it?"

"You're very perceptive."

"Thanks, I think…"

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

As I had suspected, it took a good portion of the day. What was supposed to be a simple lunch turned out to be a farewell party. While it was fun, I think that we would have been better off moving on. Now we probably will not make it to Kakariko before nightfall and we will be forced to camp out. At least we have that Staff of Sanctuary now.

Come to think of it, did that talking tree actually predict that we were going to get held up?

We were currently at the bridge right before the exit to the forest. Saria had accompanied us this far, but would not be able to continue on past the bridge. She gave Link, Zelda, and Malon a hug. To my surprise, she gave me one as well.

"Before you go, I would like to teach you all something."

Link smiled, "I bet I already know what it is."

She grinned at him, "Yeah. As a matter of fact, didn't I teach it to you twice?"

Link shrugged nonchalantly.

Saria pulled out a musical instrument which I immediately recognized as an ocarina, "I'm going to teach you my special song. It has power that will allow you to communicate with me."

"Sweet," I said.

Zelda pulled out a lyre as I pulled out my own ocarina. Saria proceeded to teach us the song called Saria's Song. Zelda played it on her lyre and Malon sang it (wow, she has a beautiful singing voice). I played it on the Ocarina of Dimensions. Like with the first song I learned, it took me several tries to get it right, but when I did, I found that I could recall the song in the same way that I could recall the Song of Dimensions.

"Goodbye everyone," Saria called back as she left, "Don't forget to visit sometime when the world is not in danger."

We watched as Saria, illuminated by Ami's glow, eventually disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.

After a minute, Link said, "We need to get going. We should try to cover as much ground as possible before sunset."

We spent the next few minutes rounding up the horses and attaching them to the wagon. After they were all set, we climbed into the wagon and were on our way.

It was not long before we were back on Hyrule Field. I turned around and watched as the entrance to the forest grew farther and farther away. I could not help but sigh.

"Is something the matter?" Zelda asked me with some concern.

I shrugged, "It's just… I kinda wished that I had a chance to thank Via for all that she did for me."

"_T-thank me?_"

"Yeah, for saving my…"

I stopped up short as everyone turned to look at me. Malon had even stopped the carriage so that she could look at me.

"That voice came from me, didn't it," I asked wryly.

They just nodded.

I grabbed the hood of my jacket once again and pulled it around so that I could look into it easily. Sure enough, a very pink Via was sitting in my hood.

"When did you get there?" I asked with some surprise.

"_I've b-been here since this m-morning._"

She had been with me all day, and she never once made a peep… This fairy was indeed very, very shy.

"I guess the better question to ask is: Why are you in my hood?"

Via was quiet for a minute before she finally answered, "_I w-wanted to see what it was like outside the forest. I-I wanted to see it for myself. I wouldn't be a burden, I p-promise. I was useful yesterday, w-wasn't I?_"

"Useful," I said, surprised she had to ask, "If it wasn't for you, both Saria and I would be dead."

Via cautiously floated out of my hood and nervously looked around at everyone in the wagon, "_You guys don't mind if I s-stay around?_"

"We don't mind at all," Zelda said kindly.

"Sure," Malon chipped in, "The more the merrier."

Link nodded at the little fairy, "It would be an honor to have you with us."

Via turned to look at me and I said, "I think you already know my vote," I said with a grin, "Welcome aboard!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** _**"Before you go, I would like to teach you all something."**_

_**Link smiled, "I bet I already know what it is."**_

_**She grinned at him, "Yeah. As a matter of fact, didn't I teach it to you twice?"**_

**Don't you just love time paradoxes :D. And shame on anyone who actually thought that I was kicking Via out of the group, you should all know better (of course, nobody _really_ thought I was going to do that, right?).**

**Two orbs down, only four left to go. But with Malgum aware of the plan, how will the group fare? Why has Malgum not gone after the Sword of Darkness?**


	14. Camping Out

**A/N: This chapter was added for several reasons. One: I wanted a scene where the main characters were alone and not in danger of being killed (they haven't had a real chance to just sit down and talk). Two: I wanted to note a few things that I did not note in previous chapters.**

**What are those things you might ask? You'll have to read to find out.**

**On another note, I updated my profile pic. It contains a pic of the Symbol etched into Cody's blade (in case anyone is interested).**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Camping Out<strong>

_Link:_

We were roughly halfway to Kakariko before I insisted that we stop for the night. At first Zelda and Malon objected, noting that camping out in Hyrule Field at night was tantamount to suicide. After telling them about the Staff of Sanctuary, they reluctantly agreed.

To be honest, I was surprised by how well it worked. As night fell over the field, there were no signs of the Stalchilds. We were camped out next to a tree not far from the road. The wagon sat parked next to the tree, and the horses were grazing close by. We set up a fire a short distance from the wagon (do not want to light our supplies on fire). Zelda, Malon, and I sat huddled around the campfire. Cody was sitting next to the wagon, Via's green glow providing the only light around him.

"Why is he being so unsociable," I muttered as I watched him.

"Now, now. He's had a rough time," Zelda said, smiling at me, "I think we can forgive him."

I sighed, "He still hasn't told us how he got the Orb of Winds. And did you see his new boots?"

Malon was being uncharacteristically quiet. She kept glancing at Cody, not paying much attention to the current conversation.

"You okay Malon?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh as she turned back towards the fire, "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Zelda asked.

"Well, I talked with Cody last night…"

She told us all about what Cody had been up to while we were fighting Aviosis. I was dismayed to hear that Malgum was on to us…

"Why the hell didn't he tell us this sooner!" I yelled.

I stood up, determined to march over there and give him a piece of my mind. However, Malon grabbed me by the back of my tunic and pulled me back down into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry Link, but he had his reasons," Malon told me, "it wouldn't have made a difference if he had told you then or now."

"We'll never know now…" I said, still a little angry. If I had known, I would have insisted that we skip the Kokiri lunch/dinner party.

While Malon and I had our little exchange, Zelda was watching Cody.

"You know," Zelda said, sounding thoughtful, "I've been wondering…"

"About what?" I said, turning back to Zelda.

"Why was someone without any combat experience chosen to be the Hero of Dimensions?"

To be honest, I could not fathom why the goddesses would have chosen someone such as Cody to be the wielder of a power as great as the Dimensional Sword.

Malon immediately came to Cody's defense, "He may not be much of a fighter yet, but he is brave."

I could not help but snort, "Brave! More like reckless. Twice he almost got himself killed and all because he got angry."

Malon finally lost her temper, "Why do you hate him so much!"

This brought me up short, "What?"

"What do you mean, what! You haven't exactly made it a secret! What do you have against him!"

I opened my mouth to answer… then just as quickly closed it.

To be honest, I did not know why I disliked Cody so much. There was something about him that set me on edge. While it was true that Cody often annoyed me, that alone would not be sufficient enough to cause me to act the way that I had been acting towards him.

He did some things wrong, but that did not excuse my actions.

"I guess I really don't know…"

"We need to be more patient with him," Zelda said, "You heard what Rauru told him about the orbs. He's far from home and he wasn't given a choice in the matter. We're lucky that he is willing to help us out at all."

"Maybe your both right," I said, "maybe I should try to be a bit more understanding."

"That's good," Zelda nodded happily.

We sat there in silence for a minute when Malon stood up, "I'm going to go keep Cody company for a little while. He looks pretty lonely."

She left the campfire and headed over towards the wagon.

After she left, Zelda slid over next to me and whispered in my ear, "Don't you notice something strange about Malon?"

"Should I?" I asked.

Zelda giggled (I still cannot get over how different she has been acting), "It seems pretty obvious to me."

I rolled my eyes, "Maybe you should enlighten me."

"Sure thing," she said, grinning, "Malon _likes_ Mr. Williams"

I vaguely remember Zelda mentioning that the other day…

"She certainly seems to be acting rather friendly towards him," I said thoughtfully.

"Of course," Zelda said, sounding delighted, "She has a crush on him."

I shrugged, "I guess it's possible. However, she hasn't known him for all that long."

"When it comes to a crush, it doesn't really matter."

"Overheard that from one of the chamber maids?" I asked, smirking. It was hard to take someone seriously when they had never been in situations like the ones they were describing.

She stuck her tongue out at me. Strange…

"It seems almost like old times," Zelda said thoughtfully, after settling down a bit.

"What does?"

"You know," Zelda said with a smile, "constant traveling, trying to stay one step ahead of the man who is out to destroy Hyrule…"

I grinned, "I don't know, it actually seems easier to me. Malgum hasn't exactly taken over Hyrule."

She grinned back at me, "True."

"Hey," I said, suddenly remembering something, "Whatever happened to Ganondorf anyway?"

Zelda frowned thoughtfully, "Thanks to your information, Ganondorf's coupe was discovered before it could take place. He was supposed to be executed by the sacred sages in the desert. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing in partic… Sacred sages?"

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly, "apparently there are other sages. I don't know if or how they are related to me, Saria, and the rest of us."

"Oh," I said, a little shocked, "I guess you learn something new everyday."

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

"_I-I guess you don't like company much either, d-do you?_"

"It's not that…" I said quietly.

I always turned introspective at night. Whenever this happened, I usually preferred to be alone. In the past, I would usually just mull over all the events that had happened that day. Now however…

When did things get so complicated? It used to be that the only things I would worry about would be homework, bullies, or whether or not I could beat the game I was stuck on. Now I am worried about whether or not I will die tomorrow…

I was brought out my introspection when Via let out a frightened 'Eep!' and dove into my hood. I looked up to see Malon approaching.

"Is it all right if I sit here?" she asked, looking uncertain.

I shrugged, "I don't mind."

I kind of did, but I was not about to insult the one person in this world who respected me for me, and not the sword at my hip.

She sat down beside me, her knees drawn to her chest, and remained silent. This was the reason I did not want her over here. Now I feel all sorts of awkward…

"So…" I said, breaking the silence, "did you need something?"

She shook her head, not saying anything.

"Oh…"

I looked down, examining my new boots while pretending that I was not feeling awkward at all. It was not long though before I became aware of the fact that I was being stared at.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Malon glancing at me. I turned my head to meet her gaze, and she looked away.

"You sure you don't need something?" I asked.

Malon stayed silent for a moment more, then said, "You looked lonely, so I thought I'd keep you company."

I could not help but smile at that. She returned the smile, then frowned as she took in my appearance, "Don't take this the wrong way, but do you happen to have a change of clothes?"

I frowned as well, and then looked down. Since I came to Hyrule, I have bled and been stabbed several times. My jacket had so many holes that it did not seem to serve much purpose. My shirt was not much better.

"Well, when Malgum invited me to Hyrule, he forgot to mention that I should pack first…" I said wryly.

Malon giggled, "Yeah, I see your point."

Malon looked up at the moon, "Hey Cody?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… miss your home?"

I nodded my head, "Yeah… I can't help but wonder how everyone is doing."

I lapsed back into silence for a minute, and then I shook my head, "To be honest, I'd rather not talk about it."

I smiled at her though, "What about you though? Why did you want to come on this journey?"

She took a moment to compose her thoughts, then said, "It might seem selfish, but I've always wanted to go on an adventure like this. Link would often tell me of some of his adventures across Hyrule, and I always wished that I could experience something like that as well."

She looked over to the wagon at the bow that was sticking up out, "The reason I got so good with the bow was because I wanted to one day help Link out, and I needed a way to make myself useful."

I looked over toward where Link and Zelda were sitting, "What's Zelda's story? How did she and Link meet?"

Malon looked over to the two by the campfire, "I don't really know. All I know is that they've known each other for a long time. I think Zelda knew Link before I did." **[A/N: **In OoT, Link met Malon before he met Zelda. However, in this alternate timeline, the first thing Link did was go and meet Zelda (right after he put away the Master Sword for what he thought was the last time)**]**

"Oh."

I looked over at the two once again. I guess if I want to learn more, I will have to ask them myself.

"What about you Via?" Malon asked, looking at my hood, "What was your life like?"

Via peeked cautiously out from the hood but did not answer.

"Sorry," Malon said sheepishly, "I guess that was too personal. Would you mind telling us why you wanted to come with us?"

"_D-does it matter?_"

"If you don't want to talk about it…" Malon said quickly.

Via remained silent for a moment more. She then muttered something.

I frowned, "Via, you're almost right next to my ear and _I_ didn't hear what you just said."

Via took a deep breath before she repeated what she just said, "_I'm keeping a promise… To an old friend…_"

"A friend?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"_I'm f-feeling rather tired. I think that I'll r-retire now._"

She quickly dove back into my hood before we could press her any further.

"She might have the right idea," Malon said, getting to her feet, "I guess now would be a good time to go to sleep."

She grabbed a few mats from the wagon and tossed me one while keeping three for herself and the others.

As she was walking away, I called out to her, "Hey Malon!"

She stopped and turned to look at me over her shoulder.

"Thanks," I said, feeling my face flush as I said the next part, "for worrying about me."

She smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p>"I'm just saying," I grumbled as the cart rolled along, "an extra hour wouldn't hurt anything."<p>

Link ignored my griping and kept watch over the road. I sighed as I leaned back against the side of the wagon.

Malon looked over her shoulder from the driver seat and smiled at us, "We should be seeing the entrance to Kakariko in about an hour."

"Good," Zelda said, "we'll be able to resupply and get you some more arrows."

"And don't forget, we need to get Cody some more clothes!" Malon said a little too gleefully.

"That's right," Zelda said, taking in the sad remains of my shirt and jacket, "Do you mind if we pick the outfit out for you?"

I looked at Zelda suspiciously, "You're not going to pick out something embarrassing are you?"

"Perish the thought!" she exclaimed, an obviously fake look of horror on her face. I sighed.

About that time, I noticed that Link was looking around, as if searching for something.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Do you smell that?" he asked.

I shrugged and sniffed the air. Strange, I never noticed it before, but that smells an awful lot like…

"Smoke?" Zelda said, sniffing the air as well.

"Do you think there was a camp near here?" Malon asked half-heartedly.

"If there was, I doubt the smell would be this strong…" Link said gravely.

Malon nodded and snapped the reigns, urging the horses to go faster.

We sat in silence for the rest of the trip to Kakariko Village. As we got closer, the sky overhead got progressively darker. About fifteen minutes from the village, flakes started to fall from the sky. I got the feeling we all knew what that meant…

Ash…

As soon as we made it to the stairs right before the village, we all jumped from the wagon and dashed up the stairs. We made it to the entrance in record time. I was so pumped up on adrenaline I did not feel any fatigue.

We stopped for a moment as we took in the sight before us.

"Kakariko…" Zelda said, all the blood drained from her face, "it's burning…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The next few chapters are going to be emotionally intense (at least compared to the story so far). Things are about to get messy for the Hero of Dimensions.**


	15. Coward

**A/N: Things are about to get tense.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: Coward<strong>

_Cody:_

I had never been the strongest person around growing up. In fact, I took pride in the fact that I was one of the only geeks in my little school. Even so, if I saw someone in some kind of trouble and I was the only person around that could help, I would have liked to think that I would come to that person's rescue. I mean, how can someone ignore a person in need? Do we not have the responsibility to do something regardless of how dangerous or scary things get?

As the Hero of Dimensions, I was stronger than I had ever been (maybe not super strong, but stronger none the less). I fought against a giant lizard, an evil wizard, werewolf like creatures, and a giant harpy. Did I not earn the title that was given to me?

That day in Kakariko, I found out exactly how unworthy I was of the title I had been given…

* * *

><p>We were snapped out of it by the sudden screams of terrified villagers. Link immediately sprang into action and rushed into the burning village. Before I had a chance to follow, Zelda stopped me.<p>

"I need the Staff of Sanctuary!" she said.

"What!"

"We need to get the villagers out of here, and the path to Goron City is too dangerous without an armed escort."

I nodded and quickly pulled the staff out of the Infinity Bag.

"We'll start leading the villagers this way," Malon told me, "you get in there and help Link."

"Right."

I started running into the burning village. Behind me, I could hear Malon calling out to the villagers that were running around aimlessly.

As I got deeper into the village, I noticed that a lot of the men were trying to put the fires out. Several people were gathering water from the large well in the village. But the fires did not seem to be affected, no matter how much water was thrown on them.

I could feel the heat emanating from the burning buildings. Sweat was pouring down my face and soaking my tattered clothes. Though there were many people trying to stop the fires, there were some who were standing there terrified, not sure what to do. Some people were recklessly going into the burning buildings, probably to save people or valuable possessions.

Some never came back out…

I could see Link running out of a building, holding a young boy in his arms. A tearful woman met him right outside the house, thanking the green-clad Hylian profusely as she took the child from Link's arms.

Just then, I heard a scream of agony as someone jumped through a window and landed near me. The man was ablaze and was desperately rolling on the ground in order to put out the fire. I was rooted to the spot. I could smell the man's burning flesh.

I wanted to throw up…

Someone nearby had a blanket ready and rushed over. He threw the blanket on the burning man and proceeded to pat the man down to put the fire out. Shaking my head to get a hold of myself, I ran over to help.

The fire was out by the time I got over there. When he saw me, the rescuer said, "Help me get him out of here."

I looked at the badly burned man, a feeling of dread welling up inside me.

"Don't just stand there!" the rescuer yelled at me.

My mind snapped back to the reality of the situation, and I helped carry the burned man to the village entrance. I tried my best not to breathe through my nose. The smell was starting to get to me.

Someone, a relative perhaps, came running over and took over carrying the burn victim for me. With nothing to else to do, I ran back into the village to see if I could find Link.

Everyone who had been fighting the fires had apparently given up and evacuated. I spotted Link, and we met in the center of town, next to the large well.

"I think that was everyone," Link said, wiping sweat and soot from his brow.

I nodded, feeling a sense of relief, "Let's get out of here then."

Just then, a woman came running up to us in hysterics.

"You have to help me!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face.

Link grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes as he asked, "What's wrong?"

She pointed numbly towards a white building at the edge of the village near the mountain path, "My son chased his cat in there! He's trapped! You have to help him! Please!"

She collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

Link needed no further encouragement. At speeds that made wonder if he wore a pair of Zephyr Boots as well, he dashed for the burning building. I watched after him, not sure what I should do with myself. Should I go help him? Will I just get in the way?

Before I could decide on what I should be doing, Via suddenly burst from my hood.

"_Cody! I sense s-someone in trouble!_"

Without further explanation, she flew off at high speeds.

"Wait!" I called as I raced after her.

She flew straight for the biggest house in the village. Before I could stop her, she flew through one of the broken window and into the burning building.

I did not even have time to panic before Via flew back out and started dancing frantically in front of me, "_Cody! There's a y-young girl trapped inside! We have to hurry!_"

I nodded, and raced towards the front of the building. I got to the door and kicked it in. Immediately, a ball of fire exploded outwards from the sudden burst of air.

In a panic, I fell backwards and landed on my back. It felt as if my eyes were about to pop out of my head, they were so wide open. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and saw the fire roaring out of the doorway. I broke out in a sweat that had nothing to do with the heat.

It was at that moment, that all of the fear and terror of my situation came down and hit me like a ton of bricks.

Ever since I had come to this God-forsaken world, I had been fighting for my life. I almost died… _died_… several times. And for what? Some stupid world that I did not even belong in! I am no fighter. The sword gave me the ability, but it did not give me the will.

I could hear Via yelling at me to get up and go save the girl, but I could not move. If I did nothing, the poor girl was going to die. I did not want that. I did not want her to die, but…

If I went in there, I would die…

If I continued this journey, I will die…

…

..

.

..._I'm going to die…_

A green blur rushed past me and into the fire. I blinked, not entirely sure what I saw.

Moments later, Link rushed out of the fire, the young girl gripped tightly in his arms.

The moment he was clear of the building, I felt a sense of relief like none I had ever felt before wash over me. The little girl was going to be alright. Even though I did nothing, it all worked out. I could not help but smile a little as my panic attack from a moment before faded away.

Link carried the girl past where I was sitting. He did not even look at me, which I thought was odd. I pulled myself to my feet. Via was fluttering next to me, silent. She did not even dive back into my hood. She was probably in shock about what happened to the village. I took one last look at the burning village, and then made my way towards the entrance, Via following after me.

I made it to the top of the stairs and looked down at the group gathered around the wagon and the Staff of Sanctuary. I remained at the top of the stairs and watched as Link handed the young girl, she could not have been more than four or five, to one of the frantic women. The woman hugged the girl tightly to her chest as she thanked Link profusely. He just smiled kindly at her and nodded his head.

There were several people who were in bad shape. I could see the man that I had helped carry being tended to by a weeping woman, probably his wife. Malon and Zelda were going around, helping out in whatever ways that they could. I noticed that Zelda had her mask up to conceal her face once again.

As I gazed on the scene below me, Link finally noticed me standing at the top of the stairs. He immediately started climbing the stairs. Noticing this, Via dove back into my hood to hide. I grinned at Link as he approached me. Yeah sure, some people died, but we saved the day did we not?

I did not have time to register the fact that Link looked angry before he hauled back and punched me in the face…

An explosion of light blinded me as the force of the blow twirled me around and sent me unceremoniously to the ground. I lay there completely stunned as I waited for my vision to clear up. Blood trickled from a cut on my lip where Link's gauntlet had cut it, and I could almost feel the side of my face swelling up. I was vaguely aware of Malon and Zelda shouting from the bottom of the stairs.

Strange though, I thought it would hurt a lot mor… never mind. There it is…

About that time, Zelda and Malon made it to the top of the stairs.

"Get up…" Link snarled at me.

"Link!" Malon said, shocked, "What's the matter with you!"

"I said get up," Link practically hissed at me.

It was the final straw. Link had been treating me like dirt ever since I got here, and now the pointy-eared jerk punched me in the face. How dare he…

I pulled myself into a sitting position and glared at him.

"What the hell!" I shouted at him angrily.

"On your feet," he said, returning my glare.

If he wanted a fight, he was going to get it. I was done dealing with him. I pulled myself to my feet and stared him down, just daring him to come at me.

Panicked, Via flew out of my hood and to safety.

"Link," Zelda said slowly, "don't…"

Link ignored her and ran at me. He came at me with an overhead punch, and I barely managed to block it. I quickly delivered a quick jab to his kidney.

That should have dropped him, but all he did was grunt. He spun around and clocked me upside the head. This caused me to stumble and he quickly pressed his advantage. He delivered two lightning fast punches to my stomach, driving the wind out of me.

I collapsed onto the ground, barely holding myself up with one hand. I was wheezing, trying to return air to my abused lungs. Some part of my mind that was still functioning properly noted that he did not try to finish me off.

As my senses started returning, I noticed that Zelda was holding Link back. He was struggling mightily, but Zelda was able to keep him off me. I became aware that Malon was kneeling beside me, her arms wrapped around me protectively as she stared in shock at Link. Even Via was flying about in a panic, forgetting all of her shyness for once.

"_W-why is everyone f-fighting!_" Via wailed.

"What's wrong with you!" Malon shouted at Link.

He ignored her and continued to struggle for a minute before giving up and forcing himself to calm down.

I was trying my best to hurry up and get back on my feet. I wanted so badly to punch his face in, I could almost taste it. I was in no condition to fight, but even so, I wanted to.

Link had finally calmed down somewhat, and Zelda felt it was safe to release Link. Link just stared at me as I continued to wheeze.

He finally spoke, "So… were you just going to leave her to die?"

With that one sentence, all of the fight in me went completely away. I looked up at him, not wanting to comprehend what he was saying, even though I knew the implications.

"She was burned…" Link said as he looked down on me, "there were burns all over her body. She's _very_ lucky to be alive right now."

_No… stop…_

He took a deep breath and continued, "She's going to have scars from this day for the rest of her life. Not just physically, but emotionally as well."

All the energy in my body fled as he assaulted me with blows far worse than any punch or kick. What little progress I made in getting up was instantly lost as I sagged to my knees. Malon was barely able to hold me up as I became dead weight in her arms. Even though the rest of my body felt as if it had turned to jello, my eyes were still locked on Link's. It was as if he had captured me and refused to let me go.

He was silent for a few minutes as he looked at me emotionlessly. He finally spoke, delivering one last blow to my fragile mind:

"You are no hero…"

What? But I have the sword do I not? Does that not mean that I am a hero? Well? Doesn't it?

But it finally dawned on me. This entire time, I had been fighting to protect myself and only myself. I only went on this journey to collect the Elemental Orbs because Rauru told me that it was the only way that I could go back home to Earth. It is true that I do not want to see people to die, but…

Didn't I just resign some young girl to die an agonizing death by fire?…

Heroes never do things like that.

Link was right…

I am just a fake…

I do not deserve to be called a hero…

"Impa!" Zelda shouted suddenly.

Link and Malon turned around to look behind me, but I remained rooted to my spot on the ground.

"It… was… the wizard…" Impa muttered in pain.

I was vaguely aware when Impa suddenly collapsed on the ground beside me…


	16. Fragile

**A/N: Things are starting to look bad for the unity of the group…**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Fragile<strong>

_Zelda:_

We traveled up the Death Mountain Trail in silence. I led the way with Link while Malon and Cody brought up the rear. Link had leant Malon the rest of his arrows, since the stores of Kakariko had been destroyed. None of the creatures that we were bound to run into on the trail would pose a problem for me or Link without his bow…

Besides, Link had made it perfectly clear that he did not trust Cody Williams to protect anyone…

A red tektite spotted us as we were making our way up the mountain. The creature growled, and then launched itself at us. I made a move to draw my kodachi, but Link rushed past me. With a quick vertical slice, Link dispatched the tektite before it even had a chance to land.

"I could have handled it you know," I said, rolling my eyes as I sheathed my kodachi.

Link remained silent as he stepped over the remains of the tektite. I shook my head as I followed him.

After a few more minutes of awkward silence, I finally got fed up with it, "Will you say something!"

"What do you want me to say?" Link asked, sounding nonchalant.

"Don't you feel the least bit sorry for what you said?"

"Of course not. You know what he did."

"It's not like I condone it," I said, exasperated, "but, just look at him."

Mr. Williams had been completely silent since the confrontation in Kakariko. Even now, he wore an expressionless mask. Malon was hanging back, trying to get a response from him.

So far, she had no luck…

"I don't mean to sound insensitive, but if the Hero of Dimensions stays like this for much longer, then we won't be able to summon the power of the True Master Sword."

"We don't even know if he _is_ the Hero of Dimensions," Link said, starting to sound angry, "You heard what Impa said…

* * *

><p><em>A Few hours earlier…<em>

"Impa!" I shouted again as I ran towards the injured sheikah.

Malon was already there, checking out the injured woman. I was over there in a heartbeat, kneeling on the ground and checking out Impa.

"We need to move her," Link said, standing over us, "this isn't a great spot."

"_I c-can heal her, if you w-want,_" said a very nervous Via, still floating around the motionless Williams.

I nodded at her, "Thank you Via."

"After we get her healed up, we need to go somewhere private," Link said, "We need to know what she knows about Malgum and the orbs."

* * *

><p>"So the wizard's name is Malgum," Impa said.<p>

We were next to Zora River, not far from the entrance to Kakariko. Via had healed Impa back to full health and was currently with Malon and Mr. Williams. No matter what Malon and I did, we could not get him to move or even respond to our questions. Malon and Via were currently trying to get _any_ kind of response from him, but to no avail.

"Yes," Link said, "And we also got our hands on the Orb of Winds. Cody currently holds that orb while I have the Orb of Light."

Impa nodded in understanding, "And I do have some good news for you on the orbs. From what I could find, the orbs are located in and around the temples. The sages all have the ability to find the orbs." Impa crossed her arms and added, "And I have the ability to find the Orb of Shadows."

"Can you lead us to the orb then?" asked Link.

Impa shook her head, "That would not be wise."

I saw the grave look on her face. "Is it about Malgum?"

She nodded, "Yeah. He attacked me while I was in the temple. He drove me off."

That seemed surprising, "Why would he do that?"

"Because he knows about the orbs," Link said, "Why _wouldn't_ he stop her?"

"What about the Wind Temple? Didn't you think it was too easy?" I insisted, "For such a powerful wizard, we sure got through the Wind Temple very easily."

"I recall that Saria almost _died_ in the Wind Temple!" Link said, exasperated.

"I don't think that was part of his plan," I said quickly, "All he did was guard the Orb of Winds. But why didn't he place a spell on it?"

"Maybe because he didn't have to," Impa said quietly.

This stopped the discussion real fast.

"What do you mean by that?" Link asked, looking very serious.

"I discovered some new information about the Dimensional Sword…"

Impa tapered off, looking troubled.

"If it's important, we must hear it," I said, "No matter how difficult it might be."

She nodded, then continued, "I discovered some hidden writings within the temple that tells some of the history of the three sacred swords. I already knew about some of the things that were written about the Master Sword and the Sword of Darkness. However…"

"I don't think that I like where this is going," I said, troubled.

"While it's true that many different heroes have wielded the Dimensional Sword, the sword has also been wielded by the forces of darkness."

Link's eyes narrowed.

I stared at Impa, wide eyed, and asked, "Wait. You're not saying that…"

Impa nodded, "We don't know what young Cody's intentions are. I believe Rauru, but I also believe that caution never hurts."

Link nodded, "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye out on him."

I did not like the sound of that…

* * *

><p>Impa had stayed behind with the villagers to help with the wounded and to ensure that the villagers were safely evacuated to Castle Town. What she had said before we had left still echoed through my mind…<p>

There were not only Heroes of Dimensions; there were also Villains of Dimensions.

"After what he did," Link said, bringing his voice under control, "I can't afford to let my guard down."

"Link," I said, starting to feel irritated, "do you _really_ think that Mr. Williams is in league with Malgum."

"There were several times where Cody was not around," Link said, "it would have been easy for him to talk to Malgum during these times."

With that, Link quickened his pace, walking ahead. I looked back at Malon and Williams. He still seemed to be doing a pretty decent impression of a Redead.

"Somehow," I said quietly as Link moved on ahead, "I don't think so…"

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

It had been years since I had visited Goron City. Even though he had not remembered me in this timeline, Darunia still had been pretty hospitable. He still danced whenever he heard Saria's Song (and it was still as disturbing as ever).

He did not, however, name his son after me this time around.

The city itself was inside a large cave. It consisted of several levels surrounding a large central pit. These levels were connected to each other by a series of caves. People who have never been through the city would often get lost the first time around.

Suspended over the pit was a platform that held the Goron's Ruby. Because it was not in danger of being eaten by a hungry goron, Darunia had no reason to hide it.

Speaking of gorons, there were several on each level. Gorons were large, rock-like creatures that were known for being friendly and eating rocks (the only race to do so).

We made our way down to the bottom of the pit and headed for Darunia's room. The room was lit with several torches. A statue of a goron sat in the back of the room holding a spear. What most people did not know was that the statue hid a path to the Fire Temple.

And standing right in front of the statue was the imposing figure of the leader of the Gorons: Darunia.

He also happened to be the Sage of Fire.

"Brother!" Darunia called out happily.

The big goron rushed over me and grabbed me in a hug that lifted me off the ground.

"Darunia… you're… crushing… me…"

Darunia chuckled as he set me back down, "Sorry brother, I forget how fragile you hylians are."

"He considers you a Sworn Brother?" Zelda asked me as I backed up unsteadily.

I gave her a strange look, "You know about that?"

Zelda grinned, "My father is one of Darunia's Sworn Brothers. It's always fun when he visits the castle."

I shake my head to clear the picture of the King of Hyrule getting crushed to death by an overly cheerful goron, "Darunia, as much as I hate to say it, we're not here for pleasantries."

The smile left Darunia's face, "Yeah, I thought that might be the case when I saw the princess. Especially since I remembered what happened with Ganondorf."

Zelda nodded, "Yes Darunia. We need to find one of the Elemental Orbs, and you have the ability to locate it."

Darunia grinned once again, "Gladly. I would do anything for my Sworn Brother and Sister."

I guess Zelda was now a Sworn Sister…

I hope she does not get killed by a goron hug…

Darunia sat there motionless for a minute, and then asked, "Um… What am I supposed to do?"

Figures…

"We just need you to concentrate on the location of the orb," Zelda explained patiently. "The power of the Sage of Fire should lead you to the orb."

"Oh…"

Darunia closed his eyes and started to concentrate (at least I think he was concentrating: hard to tell with a goron). It took a few minutes, but he eventually opened his eyes…

And he did not look happy…

"The orb… it's located within Volvagia's lair in the Fire Temple."

Volvagia. The dragon that lived in Death Mountain. In the alternate timeline, Ganondorf had released the dragon. The vile creature went on a rampage and began eating the gorons that were captured and held in the temple. Ganondorf had been using the gorons to set an example to all the races in Hyrule. Darunia had tried to rescue his fellow gorons, but I was the one who ultimately had to put down the vicious dragon with the help of the Megaton Hammer.

In this timeline, Volvagia would still be alive…

"Is there any chance that Volvagia is awake?" I asked, dreading the answer.

Darunia quickly shook his head, "Not to worry brother. If he was awake, Death Mountain would shake with his anger."

Good point…

"If Volvagia is asleep, then this should be pretty easy," I said, getting straight to business. "I'm going to need a Goron Tunic; I may need some arrows as well, just to be safe. I also need you to come with me. Everyone else should stay here."

"What?" Zelda said, surprised, "Why should we do _that_?"

"There's no need to risk everyone in the volcano," I said calmly, "Darunia and I will track down the Orb of Fire, and then we'll be back in no time."

"You should let me come with you."

I turned around. Cody, who had been silent ever since we left Kakariko, had finally decided to speak up.

"I think I should be there when you get the orb."

I shook my head, "There's no need for that."

Cody started to get angry, "What's that supposed to mean!"

I sighed, and then let him have it, "I don't need someone there who might run away at a moment's notice."

Cody's face became extremely pale. His mouth opened and closed rapidly, but no sounds were coming out. Even Zelda and Malon looked shocked, and I could hear Darunia fidgeting behind me nervously.

"I'll, uh, get the tunic for you now brother."

With that, Darunia fled the room. Cody sat there for only a moment longer before he too left the room. Malon only stayed long enough to shoot a glare at me before she followed. Zelda was the only one that stayed behind.

"That wasn't necessary," she told me.

"I'm sorry Zelda," I said, "but I can't trust him anymore. All of the bad feelings I had about him turned out to be right."

"Link," she said quietly, "what can I do to make you believe? He _is_ the hero. Why can't you see it?"

"Heroes don't abandon people," I said, turning around. I did not want to hear anything more about Cody.

Zelda remained motionless behind me for a few minutes, before she spoke up again, "He's just scared Link. Being scared does not make a person evil."

I could hear her starting to leave, but she paused just long enough to say one last thing, "He'll become the hero we need. We just have to believe in him."

She left as Darunia came back in the room with the Goron Tunic, "Put this on brother. I'm ready to go when you are."

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

I had, for lack of a better word, retreated to a tunnel and had sat down in one of the corners. I had the Dimensional Sword lying across my lap in its sheath.

Via had flown out of my hood and was floating beside me, "_Are you o-okay Cody?_"

I stared at the sword for a minute before answering, "I don't really know anymore Via."

"Cody?" Malon called gently.

I did not, could not, look up as I heard Malon walk over to me. She crouched down in front of me and looked at me, her eyes full of concern.

I did not feel that I deserved any sympathy…

"Link was out of line. I don't really know what got into him today."

I just shook my head, "No… Link was right. I'm nothing but a coward."

She shook her head quickly, "That's not true!"

"But it is," I said, gripping the sword even tighter, "I had justified not going into that building in my mind. I was going to let her die just to save my own skin."

Malon opened her mouth, and then closed it, unable to say anything.

I continued to stare at the sword as my emotions started to overflow, "I should never have agreed to this. I'm no warrior. Hell, I can't even beat two unarmed bullies in my _own_ world."

I laughed, but there was no mirth in it, "The idea of me… _me_… being a hero… saving a world… is some kind of sick, sick joke."

"Cody," Malon said, reaching out her hand, "That's not true…"

I stood up suddenly, knocking her hand away. She was so startled that she fell backwards into a sitting position. Via flew down next to Malon, her normally bright, green light seeming a little dim. I took one last look at the Dimensional Sword in my hand…

And I threw it as hard as I could at the opposite wall of the tunnel.

The sword bounced off the wall and landed on the floor with a clatter that echoed throughout the entire tunnel.

I walked away from the fallen sword, calling back to Malon over my shoulder, "I give up. Rauru was wrong. I'm not the Hero of Dimensions. I'm just a high school kid that wants to go home. I will no longer pretend to be anything else…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Reviews are appreciated.**


	17. Subterranean Lava Dragon: Volvagia

**A/N: Alright! Sorry I'm late, but now it's time for the second boss battle!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17: Subterranean Lava Dragon: Volvagia<strong>

_Link:_

"So brother," Darunia said, "you want to talk about what just happened?"

"Not especially."

Darunia sighed, "You won't be able to travel with him if you keep this up."

I chose not to comment as I made my way through the volcano.

The Fire Temple was located deep within Death Mountain. Luckily for us, the path to the temple was better maintained than in the alternate timeline (the bridge was not out). It was very inconvenient to get to for most of the races in Hyrule (you need special gear, like the Goron Tunic, in order to even survive the temperatures within the volcano). Gorons did not really have an issue with the heat (they could survive very high temperatures), and I recalled how I could actually _wade_ into lava in my Goron form while I traveled through Termina.

We made it to the Temple without any trouble. The rooms of the temple looked to be carved out of the mountain itself. Up ahead were three statues at the top of a set of stairs. The statues were of laughing faces (rather creepy ones at that) with flames spouting from their mouths.

Like in the Forest Temple, there was a complete lack of monsters in the temple.

Darunia led the way, taking the left-upper door into the room right before Volvagia's Lair. We stood in the entrance of the room looking at the door leading to the Volvagia's lair across the room. There was a problem though…

The room was covered with lava, and there was no easy way to get across. The last time I had gone through the Fire Temple, I had to go above the room and knock a pillar down into this room in order to cross over to Volvagia's Lair. I knew that Darunia had gotten across in the other timeline without doing that, but…

"So Darunia," I said, "How do we get acro-"

I was interrupted as I felt myself getting hoisted unceremoniously up into the air, and, before I could tell him to stop, I was thrown at the door across the pit of lava.

I hit the platform in front of the big door and rolled. I did not stop rolling until I hit the door.

"Darunia," I muttered, lying on the ground, "I might have to kill you later…"

I felt the platform tremble as what I assumed to be Darunia landed next to me. Before I could turn my head to look, I was lifted once again and placed back on my feet. Once I regained my bearings, I turned and glared at the goron.

"Sorry brother," he said sheepishly, "but it was the fastest way of getting across."

There were several things I wanted to say to them (none of them pleasant). Instead, I sighed, "Just open the door please…"

Darunia nodded and pulled out a big key (where did he keep that thing!) and walked up to the door. He unlocked the large lock and it fell to the floor with a loud clang. After that, Darunia pushed the door opened and looked back at me with a grin, "After you brother."

Accepting the invitation, I walked through the door, Darunia following after me.

The room we entered was a large, circular cavern. There was a raised island in the middle of a pool of magma. The island had several holes, which were also filled with magma. I did not know for certain, but it was likely that the island was hollow, and Volvagia slept underneath the island.

"Okay," I said, looking around. "What are we looking for exactly?"

Darunia shrugged, "I don't know."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm sorry brother, but this Sage stuff was never my forte."

"You were the one that led us here!" I exclaimed.

"Alright, alright," Darunia said, holding up his arms defensively. "I'll see what I can feel… or something."

"Do it."

Darunia put his hands together, closed his eyes and started concentrating. As he was doing this, I started glancing around the cavern. "I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place."

Darunia started to glow with a red light. As the glow started to fade from the goron, a rumble filled the cavern. On the opposite side of the room, a pathway rose out of the lava, connecting the island with the back wall of the cavern. At the point where the walkway connected, the wall started to lower into the ground, revealing a secret room. Inside the room was a statue on a pedestal (like the one Malon had told me Cody had found). This time the statue was of a dragon, and the Orb of Fire was resting in its mouth…

And standing in front of the statue was Malgum.

I quickly drew my sword and shield and assumed a defensive stance.

Darunia stood behind me, looking confused. "I take it he's not a friend…"

Malgum grinned at me from in front of the pedestal, "Link! How wonderful it is of you to join me!"

"Malgum," I said, scowling, "Let me guess. You're here to stop me."

"In a manner of speaking," he said as he stepped onto the pathway. "To be precise, I won't be the one stopping you."

At his words, the cavern started to quake. I took an involuntary step back to steady myself. Darunia looked around, looking tense, "I have a _really_ bad feeling about this brother."

Malgum laughed as the shaking in the cavern caused stalactites to rain down from above, "It's been fun, but I need to pay a visit to Goron City now."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

_Zelda._

"No!" I shouted, "I won't let you!"

Malgum laughed as he started to fade to shadows, "I think you have more important things to deal with, _Hero of Time_." His laugh could still be heard as he faded away into the shadows.

I swore loudly and started running for the entrance to the cavern, Darunia right behind me. We almost made it…

With a loud roar, Volvagia burst out of one of the lava pits.

"We have a problem, brother," Darunia said.

"I'm aware," I said tensely.

"We don't have the Megaton Hammer!"

"Again… I'm aware!"

Volvagia turned towards us, and then started spewing fire. I rolled out of the way while Darunia covered his eyes and took the hit. I sprang back to my feet and saw that Volvagia was diving at Darunia. Darunia was only just recovering from the attack and would not be able to do anything about it.

I ran at Volvagia, charging energy into my sword as I moved. Volvagia was almost upon Darunia. The goron was only just realizing the predicament he was in…

I moved in front of Darunia just in time and unleashed the energy from my sword at the dragon. Volvagia tried to avoid the attack, but was grazed on his side. He roared angrily as he retreated back to the sky.

"Thanks brother," said Darunia, sounding relieved.

"We need to come up with a plan," I said, watching the angry dragon circle overhead.

"But we don't have the Megaton Hammer!"

"We don't have the time to go looking for it!"

Volvagia turned towards us once again and started breathing out fire once more. I rolled out of the way once again. Darunia ran in the opposite direction, trying to keep his head out of the fire (he was not going risk taking his eyes off Volvagia a second time). However, Volvagia kept coming after me, shooting fire the entire time. I was forced to keep moving.

Darunia was running after us in an attempt to help me, but he was not going to be able to get to me anytime soon. Volvagia was not giving me much of a chance to attack. He was keeping out of range while at the same time keeping me on the move with his fire. Though the Goron Tunic protected me from the worst of the heat, it would not do much good if I took a direct hit.

I ran away from the dragon for a few minutes, feeling kind of like an idiot, when I noticed that Darunia was no longer following. As I ran, I scanned the room looking for the goron. I spotted him setting himself up in the middle of the island.

"Lead him to me brother!" he shouted at me.

I was not sure what his plan was, but since I had nothing…

During one of Volvagia's breaks during his fire breathing, I stopped, put away my sword and shield, and gathered energy. He turned towards me and was about to unleash another torrent of fire…

And at the same time, I activated Naryu's Love.

I was surrounded by a crystal-like energy shield. The fire from Volvagia's attack connected with the shield and started to flow around me. Not wasting anymore time, I began to run through the fire and towards Darunia. Volvagia roared in anger and started to chase after me. Darunia was crouching and had his arms spread wide. What was he thinking…?

"Get ready to duck!" he yelled at me.

I was almost to him. The shield was already starting to flicker.

"Now, DUCK!"

The shield died as I dove to the ground. Volvagia flew over me, not expecting me to drop so suddenly. He crashed straight into Darunia, and the two began to grapple.

I rolled out of the way of Volvagia's thrashing tail and sprang to my feet once again. I stood in awe of Darunia's great strength as he single handedly fought Volvagia with his bare hands. Volvagia was constantly breathing fire, but Darunia took the flames without flinching. I was beginning to think that Darunia could possibly take Volvagia out by himself…

Until Volvagia tossed him up into the air. Darunia landed on Volvagia's back, and the enraged dragon started flying around the room, thrashing about.

"Help!" Darunia yelled from atop the angry dragon.

"What do you want _me_ to do!" I yelled from below.

"Anything! Just get me _down_!"

I swore once again as I tried to formulate a new plan. Volvagia had temporarily forgotten about me as he flew around the cavern so I had a moment to breathe and think. It was highly unlikely that Volvagia would come down and fight me one on one after I had attacked him with my sword. That left only one course of action.

I pulled out my bow and felt my quiver materialize on my back. I pulled out an arrow and notched it. Like during the fight with Aviosis, I concentrated magic into the arrow. However, I tried a different approach.

A cold, blue light surrounded the arrowhead as I aimed at Volvagia, careful to aim well away from Darunia, and let the Ice Arrow loose.

The arrow struck Volvagia in his side, encasing his side in ice. Volvagia let out a roar of surprise and crashed into the ground, throwing Darunia from his back.

The goron landed several yards away, looking a little disoriented. "Never, _ever_, let me do that again…"

"It's not over yet," I said.

Right after Volvagia had hit the ground, he had started breathing fire on the parts of his body encased in ice. He was just now finishing up, and he looked even angrier than before, if that was even possible. He turned and glared at me. Darunia pulled himself to his feet as I notched another arrow, the arrowhead already glowing with a blue light.

Darunia was shouting something at me, but I could no longer hear. All sounds were drowned out as I waited for the perfect moment to unleash my arrow. Volvagia opened his mouth. I could see fire building in the back of his throat as he prepared to unleash more fire…

I let the arrow fly…

The arrow sailed from my bow straight for the back of Volvagia's throat.

The fire may have canceled out the effects of the ice magic, but the arrow was protected until it made contact. Volvagia started to thrash about in agony. I drew my sword and raced forward at the same time Darunia ran forward. With a loud yell, Darunia swung his fist forward and punched Volvagia with all the power force he could muster. Volvagia crashed to the ground as I reached him and swung with my sword…

The sword cut clean through. Volvagia's body continued thrashing about for a minute before it became still.

"We did it brother!" Darunia cheered happily.

He turned to give me a friendly slap on the back (one that probably would have sent me through the island), except I was already gone, making a mad dash for the Orb of Fire. I collected the orb and started running back to the entrance of the cavern.

"We have to hurry!" I yelled back at Darunia.

He nodded and proceeded to follow me at top speed.

My heart was hammering in my chest as I ran. Malgum had destroyed Kakariko. What was he going to do to Goron City?

And what was going to happen to Zelda?

I pushed myself even harder and sent a desperate prayer to the goddesses, praying that I would get there in time…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Link has claimed the Fire Orb and now the group has three of the orbs. Unfortunately, Goron City is about to be attacked by Malgum.**

**With the impending attack on Goron City, will Link be able to make it in time? And what about Cody?**

**Stay tuned.**


	18. Army of Shadows: Attack on Goron City

**A/N: And here is another chapter with lots of action for your reading pleasure.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18: Army of Shadows: Attack on Goron City<strong>

_Malon:_

I was at the top of Goron City, my feet dangling over the edge of the pit. The Dimensional Sword was beside me. I had been unwilling to leave it lying there in the tunnel, so I had brought it with me. Via had been keeping me company as well, though she spent most of her time hiding under my hair, clinging to my neck.

I was looking out, staring at nothing, as I thought about everything that had been happening. I could not help but feel sorry for Cody. He was far from home and had a heavy responsibility placed on him. It _was_ irresponsible of him to abandon the young girl, but…

To be honest, I was not sure what I should think anymore…

I heard footsteps approaching, but I did not bother to look up to see who it was. I was vaguely aware of someone sitting down beside me.

"How are you holding up?" Zelda asked me, dangling her feet over the edge as well.

I shrugged without answering.

"That good, huh?" Zelda asked, staring out across the pit as well.

I sighed, and then said, "I want to believe in Cody, but I have to admit, I'm having some doubts…"

"At least you're trying," Zelda said. "Unlike somebody we know…"

"I don't understand," I said. I was starting to feel really frustrated. "He just wants to go home! Why was _he_ chosen!"

"Do you feel that he should not be here?" Zelda asked calmly.

"That's not what I meant…"

"Then what do you mean?" Zelda asked, turning to face me.

I turned to meet her gaze but then looked down. "To be honest, I don't really know myself…"

"Take your time."

I tried to gather my thoughts, trying to understand what I was feeling, "It's not that I don't want him here…" I began, a clearer picture starting to form in my head, "Far from it. I just wish that he was not forced to do this. I guess I wish that he was traveling with us because he wants to."

Zelda nodded, "I think that, deep down, Mr. Williams really does want to be here. He's scared of what's happening… what's going to happen… what may happen…. I'm starting to understand that the life he lived on his own world was much safer than the lives we've all lived here."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that."

"Don't worry," Zelda told me, "I think Mr. Williams will come around… eventually."

"But he threw away his sword," I said, grabbing the Dimensional Sword and showing it to her. "He said that he was no hero. He said he was giving up…"

"It's hard to see now," Zelda said, looking a little sad, "but I have a feeling that Cody Williams is not done yet."

"I hope you're right Princess," I said, looking at Cody's abandoned weapon in my hand.

I was not looking at it for long…

A scream of terror echoed through the city. Zelda and I both sprang to our feet, looking around for the source of the sound. We turned to see a goron plummet off the side of the pit…

Standing where the goron had been was a shadowy figure. The figure was holding a sword similar to the Dimensional/Master Sword in its left hand. It wore a jacket and had glowing red eyes…

"It can't be…" I said, a feeling of dread spreading through me.

It was a shadowy apparition of Cody.

Zelda had already drawn her kodachi. I attached the Dimensional Sword's sheath to my belt and drew my bow. I did not fire any of my arrows on the way to Goron City, so my quiver had plenty.

All around us, we could hear cries of agonies and bellows of anger from the residents of the city. I took a cautious glance around and confirmed my fears. The Shadow Cody in front of us was not the only one in the city…

There were many more…

We were in trouble…

Due to all of the commotions, Via flew out from her hiding spot under my hair and glanced around nervously. "_What's g-going on?_"

"Via," Zelda said carefully, "I need you to deliver a message to Mr. Williams for me…"

The shadow in front of us cackled maniacally, and then charged us…

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

The room that I hid myself in (yes, I admit it, I hid like a big chicken) was kind of strange considering that I was in a city. The room had a pool of lava in it. For some reason, I did not feel all that surprised.

I sat in a corner, hoping that nobody would come after me. I did not want to face anyone anymore. I was completely consumed by guilt. It was impossible to think of anything anymore except the little girl that I had almost let die. I could not believe that I was capable of doing something like that.

I decided that I was not going to leave Goron City. They did not need _me_ after all; they only needed the Dimensional Sword. Maybe I could give them the Ocarina of Dimensions as well. That way they would definitely have everything that they need in order to defeat Malgum…

Malgum…

I had a very bad feeling about him. Another wave of guilt washed over me as I thought about the rest of the group having to face that maniac on their own. I pushed the thought away though. They would probably be able to fight him much better without me anyway. A coward like me would only get in the way…

I became aware of faint noises floating to me from down the tunnel. Curious, I looked up…

And spotted Malgum floating over the lava…

I sprang to my feet and reached for my sword, only to remember that I no longer had it.

"Cody, Cody, Cody," Malgum said, shaking his head at me. "You gave up your sword. Now why did you do a silly thing like that?"

"W-why are you h-h-here?"

My voice trembled when I spoke. _Damn it…_

He just shook his head again, laughing lightly to himself, "How did you like my handiwork in Kakariko? I must confess, I did not realize I would cause the _entire_ village to go up in flames. Sometimes I amaze even myself."

I felt a spark of anger, but it was quickly suppressed by my fear.

"So Cody," Malgum said, looking up at me with a smile, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be helping your friends?"

_I don't like the sound of that… _I listened more carefully, and I realized that the sounds I heard were screams…

"What did you do!" I yelled at him, my fear quickly being replaced by anger.

"Oh, not much," Malgum said. His grin became downright chilling. "I just released an army of shadows that have your likeness."

Malgum laughed at the look of horror on my face. The blood had drained from my face as I stared at the psychopath floating lazily over the lava. I came to a sudden realization. Throughout my entire life, I could honestly say that I never _truly_ hated anybody…

I am starting to think that Malgum is going to gain the honor of becoming the first person that I ever _actually_ hated…

"Why are you doing this!" I screamed at him. "What's your plan!"

"Now, Cody," he said, shaking his finger at me. "Why would I reveal my endgame to you? Where's the fun in that?"

As he said that, he started to fade into shadow, "Hope to play with you again!"

He laughed as he vanished into shadows. I began to scream obscenities at the place where Malgum had been. I screamed for a few minutes. How could he do something like this! What kind of person could freely kill innocent people and just _laugh_ about it!

Malgum was truly evil…

And he was using copies of me to kill more people…

I had just decided that I was giving up. I always let myself get pushed around by people, be they bullies or Malgum. They had always been better than me…

There was nothing I could do…

…

_You really should just stand up for yourself._

Katie's words echoed through my head.

… She was right. I was done with being pushed around. It was time to stand up.

I decided right then and there to make a promise to myself. As long as it was within my power to do something, I would not just _let_ another innocent person die. I would not allow Malgum to toy with me anymore.

It was time for me to get over myself… starting now.

I poured energy into the Zephyr Boots and dashed out of the room. I reached the tunnel and listened for where the most screams were coming from. I could hear some screams coming from below, so I ran downstairs.

It was utter chaos. There were a bunch of gorons running around in fear, but several of the older ones were fighting the shadows that were running about.

_They really _do_ look like me_, I thought, feeling my anger bubble to the surface once again.

There were a couple of things that I noticed about these shadows. For one, they were left handed. They also happened to be armed, putting me at a disadvantage. However…

They seemed to really suck at combat.

A goron and one of the shadows were squaring off. The shadow was swinging its sword, but it was not doing much more than causing sparks off of the goron's rocky skin. The goron seemed unsure of what to do against such a non-threatening enemy. The goron finally swung one of its massive fists at the shadow, instantly destroying it.

I guess this was going to be easier than I…

The goron's fist became engulfed in shadows. I watched in horror as the corruption spread up the goron's arm. The goron panicked, swinging its arm around, trying to get the darkness off of him. It was not long before the corruption completely engulfed the goron, and he disintegrated into shadows.

I stood frozen as I watched the goron die in front of me. It almost cost me…

I became aware of another shadow approaching in my peripheral vision. I spun around as it delivered an overhead slice. The attack was so sloppy though that I was able to block with my bracer without even activating the shield. He continued delivering several slashes with his black blade, but I was able to block them all with ease. However, due to the fact that I could not attack him directly without a weapon, I was unable to do anything but block.

I really should have thought this through better…

While I was tangling with one shadow, I saw that there was another goron on the same level fighting with another. Unlike the last goron, this one was using a two-handed sword. He was much smaller though, probably just a kid (it's kind of hard for me to tell). He was swinging the sword around wildly. He obviously had no idea what he was doing, and the shadow he was fighting was starting to get more accurate.

For that matter, so was the one that I was fighting.

Fortunately, I came up with a plan.

The shadow really was getting better, and I could not see why. He was, at the very least, getting faster. During one of the breaks in the attacks, I brought my bracer up and activated the shield. The shadow's attack bounced off the shield, but that was not my intention.

"Take this you son of a-!"

The shield overloaded and a wave of energy washed over the shadow. It slammed into the wall, completely stunned. Sparks flew from my right bracer, indicating that the bracer would not be able to generate a shield for a few minutes.

I wasted no time in rushing to the goron's aid. The shadow caught sight of me, but he was too late to stop me. I swung my other bracer at him, activating and then overloading the shield in one motion. The other shadow slammed into the wall. The young goron looked on in shock, not sure what just happened.

"Give me the sword!" I yelled at him.

The goron did not react; he was still shocked by what had just happened. The first shadow had already pulled himself off the ground and was running this way, and the second shadow was just recovering.

"Give me the sword, NOW!" I screamed at him again.

The goron snapped out of it and passed me the sword. The second shadow was already on his feet and getting ready to attack. The first shadow's sword was swinging towards me…

Reacting purely on the instinct granted to me by the Dimensional Sword, I charged energy into the two-handed weapon and spun around.

Two things happened. The first was that both shadows were taken out with a single swing. The second thing…

The blade snapped off near the hilt… and the blade that fell off disintegrated along with the shadows…

To be honest, I was not sure if I should be shocked that the sword broke within seconds of me getting it, or if I should be surprised that I could charge energy into a weapon other than the Dimensional Sword.

"Hey," I said turning to the seemingly frozen goron, "What's up with this sword…"

He remained still for a minute, before he stammered, "It i-i-is the Giant's Kn-n-nife. It's not kn-nown for its d-d-durability."

"Ah… I see…"

I spun around, scanning the level I was on for more shadows, but I did not see anymore. "You should be safe for now."

The poor goron nodded, "I-I-I will g-go and hide in m-my father's room n-n-now." With that, he waddled away.

"_Cody!_"

I looked up and saw Via descend down from above, "_Cody! Z-Zelda wants me to tell you s-something!_"

"What is it? Where're Malon and Zelda?"

"_Th-they're fine. They're up t-top._"

I glanced up at the rim of the pit. I could hear fighting, but I could not actually see the two girls.

"I need to head up there."

I started running towards the nearest tunnel, until I heard a laugh from the bottom of the pit. I turned to look and saw another shadow at the bottom of the pit.

This one was a little bit different though. He just stood there, staring at me. He raised his hand and gestured to me.

He wanted me to come down and fight him…

I gripped the broken Giant's Knife tightly in my hand as I stared him down. I started moving slowly towards a tunnel that would lead me down to the bottom floor.

"_Wait!_"

Via flew right in front of me, trying to stop me, "_Zelda's message involves the s-s-shadows!_"

This surprised me, "Really? What does she know about the shadows?"

"_The shadows start off r-relatively weak, b-b-but every time one of th-them dies, the others become more skilled and more p-powerful._"

"So," I said, looking back at the shadowy version of me at the bottom of the pit. "What you're saying is that the shadow down there is about to become the most powerful thing in the room?"

"_Pretty m-much._"

"He's issuing a challenge to me," I said, my eyes narrowed. "He's making this personal."

"_Don't go, Cody!_" Via said, starting to panic. "_Just wait for Zelda and M-Malon!_"

At that moment, the goron that had given me the broken Giant's Knife came out of one of the tunnels.

Time seemed to stand still as the goron and the shadow noticed each other. It was happening all over again.

I was transported back to Kakariko. I was once again standing in front of the large burning building. I was left with a choice. I could do nothing, and I would be able to live. My life would not be in danger. I did not know the person that was in danger; I did not owe that person…

Or I could risk my life for this complete stranger. I could be a hero.

To be honest, I still do not believe that I am a hero. But I was not going to abandon someone when I had the ability to help.

I had just promised myself this…

It's time to keep that promise.

"_Cody! W-wait!_" Via shouted after me as I ran.

I ran straight for the ledge of the pit. "This is a very, bad idea," I muttered to myself.

I reached the ledge and jumped to the next level.

I hit the ground and rolled. My legs screamed in protest from the impact as I sprang back to my feet, but I pushed the pain aside and ran towards the next ledge. I jumped from that and rolled after I landed at the bottom of the pit.

The shadow had been watching the goron (who had froze as soon as he spotted the shadow), but he immediately lost interest when he noticed my arrival. I sprang to my feet, ignoring the pain that was spreading throughout my body. I gripped the handle of the broken Giant's Knife tightly and realized that I might be in trouble. If my hunch was correct, this shadow had comparable skills to the ones I gained from the Dimensional Sword. On top of that, the "sword" I was using had a pathetic reach on it, putting me at a distinct disadvantage. My left bracer was still sparking, but my right bracer had finished recharging, leaving me with one shield.

I just hoped he did not have shields of his own.

Via floated down next to me, "_Are you o-okay?_"

"I'll be fine."

The shadow cackled (do I cackle?) as he circled around me. I kept watch, keeping my "sword" between me and the shadow.

I glanced at the goron that was still frozen by the tunnel that he had entered from. "Get out of here!" I yelled at him.

The goron let out a frightened squeak (a squeak? Really!) and ran back into the tunnel.

"_I'll help h-however I can!_"

Via flew to the shadow and started circling around him. I assumed that she was trying to distract him, but he completely ignored her.

Well, at least she tried…

The shadow picked that moment to attack. He launched into a flurry of sword attacks. I was able to block the attacks with my left bracer. However, he kept far enough back that I could not reach him with my "sword." I knew that I would not be able to him if we kept this up. He swung around again, and I deflected the blow with my "sword." Another piece of the blade that still remained chipped off.

"Really!"

The shadow just laughed.

I still had my overload ability in reserve. It looks like it might be my only chance. I deflected his sword again with my left bracer and used the opportunity to jump back. I raised my right bracer and prepared to erect the shield…

The shadow seemed to disappear. He was no longer in front of me, and I did not notice him in my peripheral vision, which meant…

I spun around, activating my shield just as the shadow brought down his magic infused sword. My shield shattered. I backpedaled as the energy that was not deflected by the shield washed over me. It took all of my willpower not to cry out as I was burned by the magic. The shadow pressed his advantage, unleashing a barrage of sword attacks that I barely deflected with my bracers.

"_Cody!_" Via cried out in a panic.

If I did not make a move soon, then I was definitely going to be killed, and I refused to be killed by my own damn shadow.

During one of his horizontal slashes, I blocked the blow and quickly moved in. I made a thrust with my broken weapon, in the hopes of getting him in his stomach…

His free hand that I did not count on came crashing down on mine…

And I dropped the sword…

I dropped the sword…

I dropped the damn sword…

I quickly backed away, and the shadow started attacking once again, laughing at me the entire time. My left bracer was almost recovered, but if the shadow pulled the same move again, then I would be a goner…

"Cody!"

It was not Via this time; the voice came from above. I turned my head as much as I was willing to risk. On the ledge above me, was Malon. She had her arrow trained on the shadow, but he was keeping too close to me in order for her to take the shot. However, I noticed that she was carrying something…

"Malon!" I shouted at her.

"Get away from him!" she shouted back at me.

"I don't think that's gonna happen!" I shouted as I ducked one of the shadow's swings. I had to resist the urge to try and punch him after remembering what happened to the goron.

"You have to try!"

I could hear the sounds of people running down the tunnels. It was probably Zelda leading an army of gorons down into the pit. I knew that once they got down here, the shadow would waste no more time in trying to finish me off.

"Malon!" I shouted at her again. "I'm ready to accept my responsibility now!"

"What!"

I guess that now was not the time to be subtle…

"Throw me the _damn_ sword!"

"Oh…"

She set down her bow and drew the Dimensional Sword. "Are you sure?"

"Toss it!"

Wasting no more time, she threw the blade. I watched it fly through the air towards me as if in slow motion. I knew that the shadow was not going to let me catch it, so I did the only thing that I could do…

I activated the shield on my freshly recharged left bracer and swung my arm. The shadow was forced to back away. He was not far enough away for Malon to get a shot off, but he was not close enough to stop me from catching the Dimensional Sword.

I did not know why, but something felt different. It felt as if there was more energy than before. I could also feel a peculiar burning sensation on my back. The sensation was not painful; it was almost pleasant.

I could see Zelda coming down the tunnel, followed by a bunch of angry gorons. It was time for my shadow to make his move.

The shadow charged energy into his blade and was preparing to deliver an overhead vertical slash. I ducked down, took a step forward, and swung my sword.

I did not know what just happened. I was several feet behind the shadow. I had only taken a _single_ step. I heard a shriek behind me. I spun around to see that the shadow had collapsed onto the ground and was disintegrating. Via floated, stunned, over the spot where the shadow used to be. Everyone, even the gorons, looked at me in shock.

"Um…" I said, looking around at the crowd behind me. "What did I just do?"

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

"Wasn't he the one you said would run away?" Darunia asked me as we stood at the entrance to Darunia's room.

We had just made it back into the city, just in time to see Cody perform a miraculous kill at impossible speeds. I stared at where Cody was. The symbol that had appeared on his back was starting to fade away…

It was the same symbol that was on the Dimensional Blade.

"I still don't know if I can trust him Darunia," I said with a sigh, "and I certainly have not forgiven him for what he did."

Darunia shook his head, "Just remember what I said earlier, brother."

Darunia walked out into the crowd, presumably to check on the damage to the city. As I surveyed the scene, I took off my cap and scratched the back of my head. Over in the distance, I saw Zelda. She spotted me and waved. I nodded at her.

"Zelda," I said softly to myself so that nobody would hear, "I truly do hope that you are right about him."

With that, I started pushing my way through the gorons (it was akin to trying to push boulders aside) and made my way to Zelda.

_I really hope you are right…_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Looks like Cody is back on track, and Link might be willing to at least _try_ to get along with the wayward human. And Cody had a new ability (though you'll find out next chapter that it has a side effect).**

**There are three elemental orbs left to retrieve. Will the group be able to collect them before Malgum decides to make his move? And why is he not trying so hard to stop them? What is his end game?**

**Review please :)**


	19. Aftermath

**A/N: Wow. It's been a while hasn't it. Writer's block really sucks. Hopefully the next boss fight will make up for it, but until then, you'll have to make do with these chapters.**

**Short little recap: Cody has resolved himself to see the quest through to the end and has gained a new technique. He has also returned to normal for the most part.**

**And now for chapter nineteen.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: Aftermath<strong>

_Cody:_

"The Quick Step?" I asked. "It's not a very imaginative name…"

"_I'm not the one that n-named it!_"

We were making our way back down the mountain. I was still not feeling a hundred percent myself, but I was no longer moping either. Malon was hanging back with me. Via was being a little less shy today and was floating in between me and Malon.

I never realized it, but Via actually knew a lot about how the Zephyr Boots worked. Apparently, if you pour enough power into the boots, you can put on a quick burst of speed that would make it appear as if you teleported (to the untrained eye: i.e. mine).

"I still can't believe you did that," Malon said, sounding excited, "I couldn't even see you move!"

"_But didn't he p-pass out shortly after using it?_"

"Can we please forget about that?" I groaned. Shortly after I had used Quick Step, a wave of exhaustion had hit me so hard that I collapsed to the ground. Apparently, it took a _lot_ of energy.

"_Where are we going n-now?_" Via asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I'm the guy from Earth, remember?"

Malon gave me a strange look, "You seem to be acting a little… different."

"Different?" I asked, confused, "I'm acting like I normally do…"

"Well, you're a little bit more talkative than normal," she said, smiling a little. "It's kind of refreshing actually."

"_And you're a little bit more s-sarcastic._"

"Was that a compliment or an insult?"

Malon and Via both laughed.

"So, Cody?" Malon asked, looking at me with a grin, "How do you like your new tunic?"

I looked down at the tunic I was wearing. The tunic was a simple affair. It was a plain white color, and it was also surprisingly comfortable. I also had on a leather belt that my sword's sheath could better attach to. I was still wearing my gray jacket and my jeans, but a goron seamstress had patched them both up rather nicely. They had also been thoroughly washed. I was quite surprised that there were no blood stains in either of the garments.

"It's rather nice," I said appreciatively.

Malon giggled, "I'm glad you like it."

She was the one who picked it out.

It had been a few days since the attack on Goron City. The attack was not nearly as devastating as the fires of Kakariko, but a few gorons did die. Thankfully, the shadows started out fairly weak, and they did not gain their combat skills fast enough to become truly dangerous (to be honest, I'm not sure why Malgum would really bother with them on a tactical level). I did not remember most of it because I had been completely drained. What Saria said about the Zephyr Boots was definitely true, in a _big_ way. Most of the waiting time had been due to me not having enough energy to move. During this time, I had discovered the wonders and horrors of Red Potions. It had extraordinary healing properties, but it was also one of the nastiest things I had ever tasted. What was really weird about the ordeal was that Link had been pretty civil towards me.

Not necessarily nice… but definitely civil.

The road to Kakariko was surprisingly deserted. There were no four-legged spiders this time around (thankfully). It was like the time we were going through Lost Woods after we defeated Aviosis.

Was Malgum causing the monsters to act up?

And what was he after? Why did he need the Sword of Darkness?

Things were getting harder and harder to understand…

In the distance, I could see the burned husk that was Kakariko. Most of the standing structures had collapsed, but some had withstood the flame (well, at least a little). I grew quiet as we approached. The past few days had done nothing to dim the memories of what had happened here. I still felt the terror, the heat, and, most importantly, the guilt. I would probably take those memories with me to my grave.

As we entered the village, I saw that a fair amount of the villagers had come back to the village from Castle Town. Most of them were sifting through the rubble; they were probably looking for lost valuables in the hopes that they did not burn up in the fires.

Many of the villagers recognized our group as we passed through the village. I heard the sounds of greeting and thanks from many people that I did not know. I could feel their gratitude for all that we had done.

Did I really deserve any of it?

We were almost out of the village, when I saw her. I had only got a glimpse of her face the first time around, but there was no denying it.

The little girl that I had almost let die was chasing a chicken through the village, as happy as she could be.

"Is something wrong, Cody?" Malon asked.

I shook my head and looked ahead. When I had spotted the girl, I had come to a stop without realizing it. Nobody else had noticed and had kept on walking (or in Via's case, flying) on without me. After Malon spoke up, everyone turned to look at me.

I motioned to them to go on, "Keep going. I'll catch up." I ran off after the girl without further explanation. Via flew after me while the others watched, completely dumbfounded.

The little girl had stopped to catch her breath, allowing the poor chicken to get away and for me to catch up to her. She turned to look at me, her eyes filled with curiosity. She had some bandages on her face and her left arm, probably covering up her burns. She had long red hair that extended down her back and blue eyes. In fact, she looked almost like a younger version of Malon (though this girl's hair was a darker red). The girl could not have been more than five years old.

I tried to say something, but I could not bring myself to say anything. Why _did_ I come over here anyway? I saw her and felt that I needed to do… something. Apologize? All I was doing now was making things awkward…

"Hiya!" The girl said cheerfully. I guess she did not find the situation as awkward as I found it.

"Hello," I replied back. I still was not sure what I should be saying. "How are you doing?"

Now I am starting to feel creepy as well as awkward. Maybe I should just leave…

"I'm doin' fine," she said, the same cheerful smile on her face. "I'm just chasing Mr. Cucco." She immediately started pouting, "He doesn't wanna play with me…"

I could not help but chuckle at the expression on her face, "Chickens can be mean, can't they?"

She looked at me curiously, "What's a chicken?"

… So that was _not_ a chicken…

"It's nothing. Never mind."

She looked at me, clearly confused (and me feeling like an idiot), when her face lit up, "You're with Mister Link aren't cha?"

I nodded, returning her smile. Her cheerfulness was contagious. I could not help but smile. "Yeah. We're on a mission together."

"Are you goin' to stop the bad man?" she asked, her eyes filling with hope.

I assumed that she was talking about Malgum, "Yeah. We will definitely stop him. You have my word."

"Kay!" she said, her cheerful demeanor returning. "I know you guys can do it! You have Link with you!"

About that time, the chicken (or whatever it was called) named Mr. Cucco wandered back into view. Apparently, he completely forgot about the traumatic experience he went through just five minutes prior.

"Mr. Cucco!" the girl cried out joyfully.

The chicken-thing froze, suddenly realizing its error. The girl started running towards Mr. Cucco, but stopped after just a few steps. She turned and faced me again, smiling, "My name's Nadine. What's yours?"

I returned her smile, "I'm Cody."

She grinned, "It was nice to meet'cha Cody!" With that, she tore off after the poor chicken, Mr. Cucco squawking in protest.

I chuckled as I watched little Nadine chase after Mr. Cucco. Via was fluttering beside me. "_Are you going to b-be okay?_" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

As I watched the spectacle in front of me, I started wondering if I really _was_ okay. Why did I want to meet the little girl that I could not save?

Then it dawned on me. It was so simple that I could not believe it took me this long to realize it. When you hear about tragedy, you often talk about how bad it is, but you will eventually forget about it (at least, it will no longer be so prominent). It was not like it happened to you. They were just faceless strangers.

I did not want to forget though. The people that I was brought here to protect were real people, not faceless strangers. Nadine was a real girl. She liked to run, play, chase defenseless chickens… a good girl all around.

For the first time, I realized that I wanted to protect her and all the rest of the people here on this world.

Via was still hovering over me. She was starting to get anxious at my long silence.

"Yeah," I said finally, "I think I will be."

And for the first time since coming here, I felt that I truly meant it.

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

"What is he doing?" Malon asked as we watched Cody talking to the little girl.

"He's a glutton for punishment," I muttered to myself.

"How was your business in Goron City," said a voice behind us.

We all turned around to see Impa. The sheikah warrior had a smile on her face as she regarded us.

"Impa!" Zelda exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be staying at the Castle?"

"Yes princess, I was." Impa turned to face me, "But in all the excitement, I forgot to give Link something. I was going to go up to Goron City to give it to you, but since you are here…"

From behind her back she pulled out a large package. I took the package from her and looked at her questioningly.

She smiled at me, "It is the sacred treasure of the Shadow Temple. You might remember it."

The sacred treasure of the Shadow Temple…

I quickly opened the package and pulled out the two objects inside: the Hover Boots. I grinned at Impa, "Thanks. I'm sure these will come in handy."

Impa nodded at me, "It was no problem. Just remember our promise."

"I will."

Impa turned and bowed to Zelda, "I will take my leave. Please be careful princess."

With that, she turned around and walked away.

We stood there in silence as we watched her leave the village. "Hey Link," Zelda asked after Impa disappeared from view. "What promise did you make Impa?"

I shrugged as I put the Hover Boots away, "It's nothing."

"She told you to protect me didn't she…?"

I could sense something far more dangerous than Volvagia brewing. "You know… just in case…"

"Are you saying I can't protect myself?" she asked. There was a glint in her eye that I was not entirely sure that I liked…

"It's not that at all!" I said quickly, but I could already tell that it was too late.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cody walking up to Malon, Via close behind him. "What's going on?" he asked Malon.

Malon shrugged, "Link's busy digging his own grave."

"Ah, sounds like fun."

"You think I can't protect myself?" Zelda said with a smile. However, her eyes told me that the smile was definitely a lie. "We'll just have to see about that…"

Help me…

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

I probably would have had more fun with Link being in the dog house, except that Zelda was scaring the crap out of me as well. Malon had driven the wagon without comment, singing to herself the entire time (it was a catchy tune: I might need her to teach it to me on my ocarina). Link had sat in the back of the wagon as far from Zelda as he could get. Zelda sat towards the front, pretending that nothing had happened. I sat between the two with Via (I regretted the seating arrangement the entire time).

According to Link, the next stop in our journey was the Zora's domain (the city of the fish people). We crossed a bridge over Zora River (don't look at me, I didn't name it). The bridge looked to be recently constructed. We traveled along the river for a while until we reached a point where the wagon could no longer go. It was getting late, so we decided to set up camp there until the morning.

Much to my chagrin, Zelda insisted that I help her practice her sheikah battle arts. I am quite convinced that she just wanted to blow off steam…

During our sparing, I discovered two things: I was much better at armed combat than hand-to-hand combat… and Zelda hits hard when she is angry…

"That was a good session Mr. Williams," Zelda said happily as she stretched.

"It's Cody…" I muttered as I rubbed my jaw. She had clocked me in the same spot that Link had hit me a few days earlier. And it had almost finished healing…

"Right, sorry," Zelda said, still smiling. At least she was feeling better now…

"Hey!" Malon shouted from over by the campfire. "Dinner's almost ready!"

"Well," Zelda said, "I'm going to go see if Malon needs help with anything."

I grunted as Zelda ran off. I could not help but wonder if, as a princess, Zelda was ever actually taught how to cook…

I felt something hit me in the back. It didn't hurt, but I spun around quickly all the same. Standing behind me was Link, holding a wooden sword. Like me, his weapon was stored by the wagon (I did not want the sword to get in the way while I sparred with Zelda). I looked down at my feet to discover that the object that was thrown at me was another wooden sword. I looked back up to Link who gestured at the sword on the ground. I guess he wanted me to pick it up. I reached down slowly to grab the blade and when I had it, I sprung back up quickly. Link rolled his eyes at me.

"I noticed that you seem to favor a sword and shield style of combat."

"Yeah."

"I also noticed that your shield breaks fairly often."

"Yeah…?" I said, wondering what he was trying to get at.

Link set himself up in a two-handed stance. "I think you would probably be able to fight better from a two-handed position if you aren't going to use a real shield."

Wait a second… was Link giving me… _advice_!?

As I stare at him dumbfounded, he raised his eyebrow at me. "Well…?"

Well what…? Oh! He wants me to copy him doesn't he?

Since Link was left-handed, I simply mirrored his stance. I felt the knowledge that had been placed within me react. There were apparently many different types of combat that involved two-handed swords. I decided to try and focus on a style that favored speed and agility over one that favored power (my sword is not exactly a zwei-hander and I am _definitely _not made of muscle).

Link smiled when he saw me finish setting up. "Good. Now, let's test you to make sure you've got it down."

"Wait," I said before Link could make a move.

He stopped mid-swing and frowned. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath before continuing, "About what happened…"

Link shook his head, "I may have been a bit harsh and for that, I apologize."

I blinked in surprise. I was not actually expecting an apology. "Actually, I wanted to apologize… and to thank you."

Link raised his eyebrow again, "Thank me…? For punching you?"

"Ye-, No," I said, scrambling to tell him what I wanted to say. "I wanted to thank you for the wake up call. I needed it. I'm no longer just fighting for myself now."

Link nodded. "Just don't repeat the same mistake again." Link then grinned, "But we're training now. You better focus or I might just hurt you."

I grinned back at him, "Bring it on elf-boy!"

"Tomorrow, we'll practice switching between two combat styles on the fly," Link told me sagely while Zelda tended to the cut above his eye. Our practice session had been less about training me and more about beating the crap out of each other with our wooden swords.

"You guys do realize that you're supposed to kill Malgum and not each other, right?" Malon asked as she wrapped my shoulder. My jacket and tunic were lying on the ground beside us. For the first time in, well ever, I did not mind having my shirt off in front of others. To be honest, the one great thing about coming to Hyrule would definitely be the Dimensional Sword's effect on my body.

"We weren't trying to kill each other," I said defensively. "Where I come from, beating each other up is considered a form of male bonding!"

"Oh really," Malon said sarcastically as she purposely pulled the bandage too tight (eliciting a yelp from me).

Via, who was floating near my head, muttered, "_Male bonding is sc-scary…_"

I shrugged and grinned. At least things appeared to be back on track…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: They're now after the Orb of Water. It looks like Cody and Link have finally come to an understanding and are on the path to becoming friends.**

**And now that they are heading to the Zora's Domain, guess who poor Link is going to have to deal with ;) .**

**Stay tuned.**


	20. An Unrequited Crush?

**A/N: The update came slightly faster this time (albeit it still took a while). Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 20: An Unrequited Crush?<strong>

_Link:_

I stood on the Triforce symbol in front of the waterfall that concealed the entrance to Zora's Domain. I had the Ocarina of Time in my hand, ready to play Zelda's lullaby so that we could gain entrance…

But I couldn't do it. Ruto scared me too much.

Ruto was the princess of the Zoras. In the alternate timeline, she fell in love with me when I helped her retrieve the Zora's Sapphire from the depths of the guardian deity, Jabu Jabu (quite possibly the most disgusting experience I ever had…). In the process of getting the sapphire, I also ended up saving her life. Afterwards, she tricked me into becoming her fiancée (in my defense, I was raised by a society that did not have marriage). Normally, something like that would have been dismissed as a childish fantasy. No way would she hang on to the thoughts of marriage all the way into her adult life…

Except that she did…

Since everything had been erased, I had hoped that I would never have to deal with Ruto or her fanatical fantasies again. And now here I am once again, getting ready to dive headfirst into this awkward situation. To be honest, I would much rather be fighting Volvagia again…

"Link!"

I jumped, startled by Zelda's sudden outburst. I turned to look at her and winced when I saw the look on her face.

"Are you going to open the path, or are you going to stand there all day?" she said impatiently. How long had I been zoned out?

I heard Cody shuffling behind me. "Pretty place, isn't it?" he commented.

"Yeah," Malon said, "very pretty."

"_B-beautiful even._"

"You guys aren't really helping…" I said.

"It _is_ a pretty place, but I _don't_ think that is the reason that Link is holding us up," Zelda stated pointedly.

"Well…" I just could not tell her that I did not want to see Ruto again, or worse, introduce her to them.

I have a terrible feeling that she is going to say something that _I_ will regret…

Zelda sighed. "If you're not going to do it…" she said as she started reaching for her Lyre.

"I got it," I said quickly, bringing the ocarina up to my mouth. I started playing the song, Zelda's Lullaby. From what Impa had told me all those years ago, the song had been passed down through the Royal Family for generations. I never learned what the real name of the song was called. I just called it Zelda's Lullaby because Impa had told me that she played it to lull Zelda to sleep as a child.

The melody echoed throughout the rocky outcroppings. Before us, the waterfall began to part. Staring through the mist kicked up by the waterfall, the well-hidden entrance to the Zora's Domain was revealed to us.

I turned around and smiled, trying to conceal my nervousness. "Shall we go?"

Zelda narrowed her eyes, looking at me with suspicion, before leaping nimbly from the outcropping we were standing on to the entrance of the domain. I stared after her, a feeling of dread settling into the pit of my stomach, when I felt a hand clap me on the shoulder. I glanced over my shoulder to see that it belonged to Cody.

"Is something wrong man?" he asked.

I gave a nervous laugh, "No. Why do you ask?"

Cody rolled his eyes at me. "Well, to quote a saying we have back on Earth, you're about as subtle as a train wreck."

"You're going to have to explain to me what a train is later," I said with a sigh. I leapt across the way to the entrance. Behind me, I could hear Cody swearing about something…

* * *

><p>Zora's Domain was just as beautiful as I remembered it. The Zoran habitat had been made inside a large cavern. Unlike Goron City, this place was filled with water. I could see the waterfall cascading down into the pool, and in the main pool next to the entrance there were many Zora swimming. Ahead of us was the gently curving ramp that would end up taking us to where we would probably find Ruto. Zelda was in front of me, and I was followed by Cody and Malon. They stared around the beautiful cavern in wonder.<p>

"Wow," Cody said, looking around in awe.

"It's beautiful!" Malon said with delight.

Via was looking around, seemingly at a loss for words (not that she speaks that much to begin with). Zelda was watching their reactions the same as I was, a small smile on her face. Judging by her reaction, I figured she must have come to Zora's Domain before (didn't she rescue Ruto from the ice in the alternate timeline?).

The domain spoke of peace and serenity…

"Link!"

The serenity was shattered as a blue blur shot from the water and tackled me to the ground. I heard Zelda's Kodachi and Cody's sword clear their sheathes and Malon pull out her bow. They all prepared to strike the unknown entity that had me on the ground…

"Oh Link! How I've missed you!" a girly voice squealed with delight.

"Ruto," I said calmly, "do you mind getting off?"

Ruto just hugged me tighter. Ruto looked just like she did in the other timeline. She looked much more exotic than most Zora. She had flowing fins extending from her arms and hips, giving her the appearance that she was wearing a dress when she was, in fact, not wearing anything at all. Most Zora had a tail-like appendage extending from the back of their heads, but Ruto instead had a large projection that kind of look like the top of Jabu Jabu's head (it even had a pair of eyes).

Zelda, Cody, and Malon watched us, each with the same look of confusion on their faces. They still had their weapons drawn. I noticed that Via was nowhere to be found.

Ruto pushed herself up into a sitting position but did not get off me. "Link," she said with a pout, "How come you haven't visited me in the past seven years. I may not have remembered the time in Jabu Jabu's belly, but I'm sure that our love for each other would have survived anyway."

"Ummm…" I stared at her, not sure what to say. I figured telling her that I did not want a situation like this to happen was not a wise idea.

Luckily for me, she did not wait for an answer. She turned her head and noticed the others for the first time. "Oh, we have guests."

She finally got off of me and helped me to my feet. The others were only just recovering from the shock of me getting tackled to the floor by a Zora girl. Zelda and Cody sheathed their weapons, and Malon put her bow away. They all looked at me expectantly. I guess they want an introduction…

"Um… Everyone, this is Ruto. She's-"

"Link's fiancée," she stated proudly, grabbing and hugging my arm.

"Princess of the Zora," I finished through gritted teeth.

I first turned to Malon and Cody. "This is Malon, the daughter of Talon and future owner of Lon Lon Ranch. This is Cody, an earthling and the Hero of Dimensions."

Malon looked surprised by Ruto's pronouncement. She recovered from her shock though and curtsied, "Pleased to meet you."

Cody was just staring at Ruto, his mouth slightly agape. Malon shot Cody a dirty look and elbowed him. Once he recovered, he grinned.

"Hello," Cody said, nodding his head at Ruto. Cody turned to me, his grin widening as he did so (I knew nothing but trouble could come from that smile).

All of a sudden, I could sense an evil aura behind me. I slowly turned my head around (I could not move my body because Ruto had my arm trapped) to see the person giving me this feeling of dread. Zelda's face _seemed_ impassive, but her eyes… wait, was that _fire_!? I could feel something sinister rolling off of her in waves.

"… And this is Princess Zelda" I said, hoping my voice did not quaver.

"Fiancée?" she asked with a smile (her eyes still seemed to be smoldering).

"Well…" I said, faltering. "You see…"

"It was romantic," Ruto said as she closed her eyes and blushed, "we went on an adventure in Lord Jabu Jabu's belly! He was _so_ cool. I gave him the Zora's Sapphire as a sign of our engagement."

She remembers things a bit differently than I do. She left out the part where she _forced_ me to carry her all over the place (a difficult task with all of the stupid Biris floating around). She also complained the _entire_ time. You would have thought that I was the one that forced her to come into Jabu Jabu's belly (she went in willingly after the giant guardian deity swallowed the spiritual stone of water: I didn't even come in till much later).

"Wow… That really is… romantic," Zelda said, shooting a look at me.

Why do I get the feeling that she is going kill me later? What did I do wrong exactly?

Behind me, I could hear Cody laughing at my expense. I only hoped that Zelda would let me live long enough to kill Cody first…

"Um… Ruto? We need to find the Orb of Water. Can you help us?" I asked, hoping to get Ruto's mind off of marriage for the moment.

She finally let go of my arm, but kept my hand locked in hers. She beamed at me happily, "Of course my love! Impa already sent me a message explaining everything, and I even figured out where the orb is!"

She immediately grabbed my trapped hand with her other hand and proceeded to pull me towards the water. I dug my heels in to stop her.

"Where are you going!?" I asked as I tried to free myself from her grip.

She giggled as she kept tugging, "To the Water Temple of course. Where else?"

Ah yes… the Water Temple... The most irritating temple that was ever conceived…

"But there's one little problem with that."

This stopped her short. She stopped pulling and gave me a look of confusion, "What is it?"

I managed to free one of my hands from her grip and jerked a thumb at my chest, "I'm a Hylian, remember? I have a little trouble with breathing when I'm underwater for too long…"

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands (I took the opportunity to back away after she released me). "I forgot. I'm so sorry my love. I'll go grab you a Zora Tunic right now." She took off running past Zelda; probably to the store where the Zora Tunics were sold (the Zora Tunic was a special tunic that allowed the wearer to breathe underwater).

"Don't forget about us!" Cody called out to her, still grinning.

Ruto came to a sudden halt. She turned around and looked at the rest of the group, suddenly remembering their existence. "They're coming too?" When I nodded my head, she seemed briefly disappointed, but quickly perked up again, "Then I shall grab extras!"

With that, she disappeared around the corner. I immediately turned to Zelda, hoping to explain the misunderstanding, but as soon as I looked at her, she gave me a look that froze my blood, and then turned around, showing her back to me.

"Well…" Malon said uncertainly. "That was kinda… adorable…"

Cody stepped up beside me, looking as if he might burst into laughter at any moment. Via flew from her hiding spot in Cody's hood and floated beside him.

"_She's sc-scary._"

"You think everyone is scary when you first meet them," Cody said to the green fairy. He then turned to look at me, the same evil grin on his face from before. "So… She seems nice."

"Shut up, Cody."

I had a feeling that this was going to be a long day…

* * *

><p>After Ruto gave us the Zora Tunics, we all went to go get changed. I exchanged my normal green tunic and Cody exchanged the white one that he had gotten in Goron City. Malon had replaced her top with the blue material. Zelda just wore the tunic over her normal outfit. After we had all gotten ready, we jumped into the water to get used to the sensation of breathing under water. It was rather comical seeing Cody's and Malon's panicked faces as they tried to ignore everything they knew about trying to breathe in water. Via stayed inside Cody's hood (fairies had the ability to breathe and even talk under water).<p>

The entire time we were practicing, Ruto made sure to swim around me, undulating in a way that made it hard to look away. Of course it was much easier to look away whenever I felt Zelda's stare (she did not seem to have problems breathing underwater).

After we finished practicing, we took the tunnel to Lake Hylia. The tunnel had always been strange. Even though Lake Hylia was on the other side of Hyrule Field, the trip never really took more than a few seconds. I assumed that there was some sort of warp effect going on, but I could not be sure. I guess I should ask Ruto about it later.

We came out of the tunnel, and Cody immediately swam for the surface. We followed him up and soon broke the surface.

"Ah," Cody said, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "Nothing beats breathing _actual_ air!"

"You were only under for five minutes," I said, shaking my head.

"I fail to see your point."

I sighed as we swam to the shore. Lake Hylia was the largest water source in the Kingdom. The Zora often came here, though it seemed oddly empty today. The fishing hole was located here as well as the Lakeside Observatory. In the middle of the lake was a set of islands interconnected by bridges. Underneath the largest island was the Water Temple.

We trudged onto the shore. Malon started running her fingers through her hair, in an attempt to help it air dry. Zelda did not seem too concerned for some reason.

Ruto came up on the shore, and then suddenly waved, "Hello Dr. Mizumi!"

An elderly Hylian in a strange blue outfit looked up from whatever it was that he was doing, "Ah, Princess Ruto. What a wonderful surprise."

Dr. Mizumi worked at the Lakeside Observatory, but I was never really certain what it was that he did there all day. As we walked up to him, he hastily wrapped up some kind of object in a cloth, hiding it from view.

"Come on Mizumi," Ruto pouted. "Why won't you ever let me see what you're working on?"

The old Hylian shook his head, "I'm sorry princess, but I've told you countless times that I'm not going to show it until I've completed it."

He gathered up his tools and the object, careful not to let us see anything. "Don't worry princess. I'm almost done with it. If you stick around, I should be finished with it in a little while." With that, he started heading back to the observatory.

As we watched him leave, Cody said, "You know, he did not seem to be very interested in the rest of us. We didn't even get introduced."

Ruto smiled apologetically. "He's always like that. To be honest, I'm sure that he only talks to me because I won't stop bugging him."

You got that right. If persistence had a physical form, then it would definitely be Ruto.

Ruto grabbed my arm once again and started tugging me back towards the water. "Are you ready to go my love?" she asked me expectantly.

"Don't you mean all of us?" Cody asked, reminding Ruto that we were not alone (thankfully).

Ruto frowned at this, and then she smiled (uh-oh), "Link, the Water Temple is a very complicated place to get through. Wouldn't it be better if it was just you and me, seeing as we've both been through it before?"

I stared at her expectant face and sighed. "She's right."

"_What!?_"

I turned toward Zelda, startled at her sudden outburst. She glared at me obviously upset that I agreed with Ruto.

Cody walked up to me and started poking me in the chest, "Hey! You're _definitely_ not going to leave me behind this time."

"Why?" I heard Malon say, standing directly behind Cody. Sarcasm was practically dripping from her voice. "Are you jealous?"

Cody turned to her, looking confused. He blinked, then blushed in embarrassment. "What!?"

"Cause if you are, _you_ can always go with Ruto instead," she said, sounding a little harsh.

Cody immediately turned back around and clapped me on the shoulder. "Good luck buddy," he said, nodding sagely, "have fun in the temple with Ruto."

"I hate you so much right now…" I said, glaring at the dark-haired human.

He grinned at me and quickly backed away (probably to keep me from doing something to him). Ruto beamed at me as she held my arm. "Shall we my love?"

Without waiting for my answer, she started pulling me back to the lake. As we reached the water, I turned back around to look again for Zelda. As I was pulled into the water, I caught a strange expression on her face. It was not anger. That much I was certain of. It was gone before I could identify it though. I kept my eyes on Zelda as I was pulled under the water.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Fun Fact: The name for the Lakeside Scientist, Dr. Mizumi, comes from the OoT manga, in case you were wondering.**

**Link is on his way to grab the Orb of Water with Ruto. Why does Ruto want to be alone with Link so bad (and why am I asking such a stupid question)? What is Dr. Mizumi working on? And what about Zelda and Link?**

**Stay tuned. The next chapter is the longest so far in OoD.**


	21. Shadow of the Soul: Dark Link

**A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than the others. In fact, it was getting so long that I was forced to split it in two.**

**This is part one of a two part boss battle. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21: Shadow of the Soul: Dark Link<strong>

_Cody:_

"Are _all_ guys clueless?" Malon asked me.

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person to ask, being a guy and all. Why do you ask?"

We were sitting on the shore of Lake Hylia. Zelda was off a ways sitting by herself, looking dejected. She had been hugging her knees to her chest, gaze directed firmly at the ground, ever since Link and Ruto had departed.

Malon looked at me impatiently, "Do I really have to spell it out for you!?"

I just looked at her expectantly. She sighed, "Zelda likes Link, but he doesn't seem to notice. Now she's feeling all depressed because he willingly left her here and went with Ruto."

I look over at the forlorn Zelda. Now that Malon mentions it, it _does_ seem rather obvious…

"You know, if you had let me go with, Link wouldn't be alone with the fish girl…" I shut up when I saw the look that Malon was giving me. Why _did_ she not want me to go with? I don't think that I will ever understand girls…

"Anyway," I said, quickly changing the subject, "I wish there was something we could do to cheer her up. She's making _me_ depressed…"

"That's it!"

Malon's sudden outburst not only startled me, but it also caused my sleeping companion to fly out of my hood with a yelp.

I took a deep breath to compose myself, then asked the obligatory, "What's _it,_ exactly?"

She grinned at me (uh-oh), "You should talk to her!"

I looked at her with what I assumed to be a dumb look on my face. She was too busy giggling over her "plan" to notice.

"It's perfect! Who better to help her understand Link's psyche than another guy?"

"Understanding Link's psyche- _what_!?"

Malon finally noticed my confusion, "You're a guy right?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Last time I checked… Your point?"

Her grin came back, "You can tell Zelda how Link truly feels!"

I stared at her incredulously, "You remember that Link and I hated each other till yesterday, right?"

"It doesn't matter," she said, brushing it off. "She just needs reassurance from someone who can guess more of what Link is actually feeling… you _do_ know what he's actually feeling, right?"

I sighed. What, am I Link's shrink now? "I don't know how he feels for Zelda, but I do know that he doesn't care for Ruto that much."

Malon actually looked surprised, "Really? He was letting her hang all over him."

I just shook my head, "Nah, he looked real stiff to me, like he wanted to get away. He probably just wasn't sure how…"

Malon grinned once more, "See? Guys think differently. You can explain the part about Ruto to her!"

I heaved another heavy sigh as I pulled myself to my feet, "I still think this is a bad idea…"

She responded by giving me a push towards Zelda. I just shook my head and started walking. Via remained behind (a wise decision in my opinion). As I was walking, I tried to think of what I could possibly say to snap Zelda out of her funk (dealing with emotional problems is definitely not my forte).

Zelda did not look up as I approached, and she did not look at me as I stood over her. I cleared my throat to get her attention, but she did not seem to notice. Deciding that she was probably listening, I plunged right in, "So… do you want to talk… or something…"

Why the hell did Malon send me over here again…?

Zelda was silent for a moment before responding, "Not really."

"Okay then, see ya!" I said quickly, turning around to leave. I was stopped short, however, by Malon's glare. I sighed, turned around, and plopped myself on the ground next to Zelda, "Do you mind if _I_ do some talking?"

She did not respond, which I took to mean 'YES! I DO MIND!'. "I'll take that as consent then," I said with fake cheer (hopefully she doesn't kill me later…).

I looked out over the lake towards the island that held the Water Temple. "You know," I began, hoping to get this over with, "I don't think Link likes Ruto all that much."

"Uh huh…" Zelda replied noncommittally. I guess she did not believe me…

"Want to know how I know?"

Zelda remained silent, so I turned to her and just went ahead and said it, "He's always real stiff when she's around… He avoids looking at her when she grabs onto him…"

Zelda was silent for so long that I thought my comment had no effect, but she eventually sighed and looked out over the lake. "It doesn't really matter anyway."

Her words were ominous, but she was no longer staring at the ground, so that was something. "It's something to think about at the very least," I said as I began to pull myself to my feet.

I stopped when I noticed that Zelda's eye's widened and the blood drained from her face. She sprang to her feet before I could think to ask what was wrong and shouted out, "Malon! Look out!"

I sprang to my feet as well and looked towards Malon. She had been busy watching us (probably making sure I did not chicken out or something) and was unaware of the danger approaching from behind her…

A long, thick tendril of water had risen from the lake…

Malon barely had enough time to turn around and see the tentacle before it swooped down and snagged her. She screamed as she was whipped through the air, causing her bow and her arrows to get slung all over the shore. Via flew over towards us in a panic, "_W-what is that th-thing!?_"

"Morpha," Zelda practically spat. "It's the guardian of the Water Temple. But what is it doing out _here_!?"

As we watched, many more tentacles rose from the water. In the center of the bunch, one of the tentacles had an eye floating in it, staring at us.

"Don't know, don't care," I said, unsheathing my sword. "I just know that I'm not going to allow it to hold her for a second longer."

"Agreed," Zelda said, drawing her Kodachi. "Let's go."

Together, we charged at the tentacle monster…

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

"Aren't you going to get us over the spikes my love?" Ruto asked me sweetly.

"How did you get over them the first time?" I grumbled as I pulled out my Hookshot once again. I had forgotten just how frustrating the Water Temple could be. I must have blocked it from my mind. What was worse, however, was that I did not have the Iron Boots this time around (and Mikau's mask has not worked for me since I left Termina). Ruto had to drag me around through the water in order to get us around at a decent pace.

And if things weren't bad enough, I've been haunted by the image of Zelda as she watched me get pulled into the temple by Ruto…

Like the last couple of temples, the monsters seem to be strangely absent, as if trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Why did Malgum leave these places so unguarded? Did he really think that one powerful creature would be enough to stop us?

I pushed these thoughts to the side for the moment, grabbed Ruto around the waist (eliciting a giggle from her), and shot the Hookshot at the target on the ceiling just on the other side of the spikes. We landed on the other side without a problem. I immediately let go of Ruto, but she did not let go of me. I looked down and saw that she had her eyes closed, her face looking content. I sighed.

"Ruto, do you mind?"

"Hmmm?" she asked, smiling, her eyes still closed.

"We really need to hurry up…"

"Alright…" she said with a pout, _finally_ letting go of my arm. "The orb is in the room on the other side of the door."

I nodded, feeling as if a pit was forming in my stomach. Beyond this door was the room that I fought Dark Link. It was not a very pleasant experience for me. My only hope is that Malgum would think that the Orb of Water would be located in the chamber where Morpha resides (hey, I can dream, can't I?).

We opened the door, and headed on through.

The first thing I noticed was that the room looked exactly the same as it did before my fight with Dark Link. This immediately put me on edge, causing me to draw my sword.

"What's wrong?" Ruto asked, a little startled that I had pulled out my weapon.

"Probably nothing," I said, eyeing the room suspiciously. "Maybe we should hurry this up."

"Of course my love!" she said, beaming. "Anything for you!"

She spun around, facing away from me. She placed her hands in front of her (the same as Darunia and Saria) and began to glow with a faint blue light. A little too faint…

"Is everything okay?" I asked her as I put away my sword.

She did not turn around as she replied, "It's fine." Her voice sounded a little strained as she talked, "My power has been waning a little. Nothing to worry about."

She says something like that and expects me _not_ to worry…

However, before I can question her more about it, there is a ripple in the water. The glow around Ruto ceased and she quickly scrambled away from it. Another statue on a pedestal rose from the water. The statue this time seemed to be of Lord Jabu Jabu, the Orb of Water resting in his partially opened mouth (an image that I could have lived without). I looked over to Ruto, who was sitting down, resting against the tree in the middle of the room, and nodded my thanks to her. She smiled wearily at me.

I turned back to the statue and yanked the Orb of Water from the mouth of the Fish Deity, "We should get back to the others-"

"Link," Ruto said suddenly, interrupting me. I froze, realizing the tone in her voice. This time around, she sounded much more serious than she sounded all day.

I heard her pull herself to her feet and start walking slowly towards me. "Link," she repeated again, softer this time.

I knew in my heart what she wanted to say. I didn't want to hear it, but I knew that she had to say it.

"I… I know that you're not as fond of me as I am of you…" she started off hesitantly, a quiver in her voice. "I know that I forced you to become my fiancé that one time, and that it was wrong of me to do so…"

I don't look at her. I'm almost afraid to…

She continued, "I wanted to let you know that… I'm sorry that I did that." Her voice started to get more determined, "I know that you're a Hylian and I'm a Zora, but you are the only guy that I've ever had feelings for. Would you be willing to…" She paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "Would you be willing to consider… _us_?"

And there it was. I felt cornered. Though I've felt uncomfortable around her on more than one occasion, I can honestly say that I've never hated her. It's because of this that I wanted to find the best way to let her down easy. The truth of the matter was, I did not feel the same way she did, and it was unfair of me to draw this out any longer.

"Ruto…" I began as I turned around to face her…

I reached forward quickly and pushed the Zoran girl to the side. Unfortunately I did not have time to draw neither my sword nor shield, so I did the only thing I could think of to protect myself…

I spun around and presented my shielded back to the enemy. Almost the second that I was turned around, I felt the assailant's sword crash against my shield, causing me to start falling forward. I was able to turn my fall into a roll, however, and I soon sprang back to my feet and spun back around, the sound of my sword clearing my sheath filling the strange room. The sword clashed with my assailant's sword, and he moved in close as if to get a look at me.

I had fought this being before. He wore the same clothing as I, but his were all black. His equipment was also black, black as the deepest night. His face appeared to be distorted by shadow, but his red glowing eyes were distinctly visible. "How's it going, doppelganger?" he sneered at me.

Dark Link was back, and he was out for blood…

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

I charged energy into my blade as I ran, Via close behind me. Zelda ran alongside me, tossing needles. The needles did not appear to be having an effect on the strange creature however, eliciting a very un-princess like swear from her.

"We need to cut down all of the tentacles," I said as we reached the monster in the water. I swung my sword, releasing the energy and obliterating two of the tentacles with one slash.

"That won't work," Zelda said with a grunt as she cut down one of the tentacles that got too close.

"Wait… what do you mea-"

Three more tentacles rose from the water to replace the ones we took down.

I swear rather loudly. "How do we kill this thing then!?"

Zelda dispatched another tentacle with her Kodachi. She then let loose a fireball at another, causing it to detonate in a shower of water and steam. "Morpha is a being that controls water. We have to take down the eye. It's the only way to destroy it."

I continued slashing my way towards Malon. I saw the eye in the center of the mass of tentacles. There was no way that I was going to come anywhere near that thing using a sword…

Zelda was protecting my rear as we made our way to Malon. As soon as there was an opening, she spun around me and tossed some needles directly at Morpha's eye. A torrent of water shot up, blocking the needles from even getting close. Zelda swore once again, "We need something more heavy duty than my needles. Can you shoot Malon's bow?"

I grunted as I slashed down another watery tentacle, "I barely know how to hold one. How 'bout we just rescue Malon and let her do it?"

"That would be nice!" Malon shouted from where she was dangling. "Can we hurry this up a little faster? He's a little slimy…"

"Working on it!" I shouted, pulling the Orb of Winds out of the Infinity Bag and jamming it into the crystal on the Dimensional Sword. Like before, the blade began to glow green and the wind picked up, swirling around the blade.

"What are you planning!?" Zelda shouted, dodging out of the way of a tentacle that came too fast to effectively attack.

"I dunno… Something crazy?" I swung the sword at the mass of tentacles, unleashing a powerful blast of wind. The wind slammed into Morpha, causing the strange creature to sway violently. Using the opportunity, I rushed towards Malon, Via flying right beside me.

"That's not a good idea Cody Williams!" Zelda shouted at me.

I didn't listen to her. "I'm coming!" I shouted at Malon.

Of course, I found out real fast why it was a bad idea to rush in without a real plan. The wind blast turned out to not be quite as effective on an amorphous blob as it was on a living being. Watery tentacles slammed down all around me, cutting off all escape and effectively separating me from Zelda.

"_I th-think we might be in tr-trouble…_" Via said worriedly.

"We'll make it," I said with a growl, swinging my sword at one of the tentacles. Zelda was trying to fight her way to me as well, but she was making very little headway.

And to think, I used to like water…

I was surrounded by water on all sides. I swung my sword fairly wildly, keeping a constant wind blowing. That is till I was rudely interrupted by Morpha… I was grabbed around the ankle by one of Morpha's tentacles and hoisted roughly into the air. I was barely able to keep a hold of my sword.

I swung my body upwards and slashed at the tentacle. It released me, and I of course landed on my back. As I tried to recover from the throbbing pain traveling through my body, I noticed that Zelda had also gotten picked up in her haste and was forced to free herself in the same manner that I was. However, she was graceful enough to land on the ground in a crouch instead of on her back…

Showoff…

I sprung back to my feet, slashing at another tentacle. This created an opening to the tentacle that had Malon. Via flew to Malon at this point and started to reassure her, "_D-don't worry! Help is almost h-here!_"

Morpha squeezed Malon, eliciting a scream from the trapped girl. This spurred me to faster action. Charging energy into my blade, I spun around in a circle. The wind ripped apart the tentacles that were surrounding me, including the one holding Malon.

With a surprised shout, Malon began to plummet towards the ground. In a panic, I dropped my sword and rushed underneath her (using the power of the Zephyr Boots) to catch her. I ended up on the ground again (man, I suck), but at least I didn't drop her…

"Thanks," she said, a little breathlessly.

"Don't mention it…" I said with a groan. "However, aren't we forgetting something?"

"Right," she said, getting straight to business. She immediately started crawling for her bow, and I started grabbing the arrows that were lying around. I turned around to see that she was already crawling back to me. I started to crawl to her as well. I started to hand the arrows to her…

"Cody! Look out!" Zelda yelled from behind me.

I did not even have time to marvel at the fact that Zelda did not call me Mr. Williams…

One of Morpha's regenerated tentacles grabbed me around the chest and yanked me off my feet. Unlike with Malon, Morpha did not want to keep me around. The tentacle swung around and, for what felt like the millionth time, I was sent flying…

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

Dark Link was not giving me a chance to draw my shield. It was all I could do to keep his flurry of attacks away, and I did not have a chance to deliver my own.

"Come on!" he shouted at me with a sneer. "Is this the best that the Hero of Time can do?"

I ignored him for the time being, trying to formulate a plan or just drive him back long enough to draw my shield.

It was slow going. Unlike the last group of shadows that I fought, this one was not a mirror image. He was left-handed like me and was at least as skilled as I. Unfortunately, he had the advantage of his shield, and he was definitely using it. What could I do to even the odds?

Dark Link cackled, "I can't believe that Hyrule hasn't gone up in flames this entire time!"

I silently swore at the specter. He kept forcing me back towards where I assumed the wall of the room was located (it was hidden by an illusion after all). As I was being forced back, I started reaching for something, anything, which would aid me against Dark Link. My right hand brushed against the pouch on my belt where I kept the Elemental Orbs. Not wasting any time, my hand dove in and drew out an orb at random, hoping against hope that it was the Orb of Light.

Dark Link unleashed a torrent of energy, causing me to slam into the invisible wall behind me. I was out of time. I slammed the orb into the crystal on the hilt and swung at Dark Link.

A torrent of flame arced out from the blade. Dark Link barely had enough time to raise his shield as the fire slammed into him. The force of the attack caused him to backpedal, giving me enough time to finally draw my shield. As I readied my sword and shield, I noticed that the blade of the Master Sword had turned red and was wreathed in flames.

This will work.

I looked up at Dark Link who had also readied his weapon. "Time to end this," I snarled at him.

I rushed at Dark Link and started unleashing a flurry of attacks. Thanks to the Orb of Flames, I was able to keep him from counter-attacking. He was forced to back up as I put him on the defensive. As I pushed him back towards the tree in the center of the room, he started laughing.

"What's so funny!?" I yelled at him, unleashing more fire at him.

He blocked the flame with his shield and began to talk, "You killed them."

_What?_

"You killed all those people when you pulled the Master Sword as a child. It was _your_ fault that Ganondorf got the Triforce."

_No!_

My strikes became more frantic as I desperately tried to shut him up. _That's not true! It's not!_ The flames from my sword were starting to burn me as well, but I ignored the pain.

"If you couldn't protect those people then, what makes you think you can protect them now?" he said gleefully. "You will _fail_!"

I was vaguely aware of what he was trying to do. He was playing on my fears… my self doubts… Even so, I could not completely force them out. The faces of all the people who had died in Ganondorf's attack. The faces of the ones that are dying by Malgum's hand…

I kept bashing at his shield with my sword, the flames licking my leather gauntlets. He was not even bothering to counter-attack. I almost had him backed up to the tree. He would have no where to run…

I could finally shut him up for good…

In my haze, I had forgotten why I had come here. Specifically, I forgot that I came with someone. That realization hit me when I saw Ruto peer out from behind the tree, a frightened expression on her face.

_Ruto?_

In my shock at seeing Ruto again, Dark Link struck. I was too dazed to even block. His sword cut deep into my right shoulder, only stopping when it met my shoulder blade. He let out a gleeful laugh as he yanked the sword from my shoulder. I screamed in pain as my arm fell uselessly at my side. My shield slid from my arm, falling into the water with a splash.

Dark Link immediately pressed the attack, laughing the entire time. I parried as many of his strikes as I could, but my strength was fading fast. I could feel my blood soaking into my tunic. My vision was starting to go dark around the edges…

"When I get done with you," he said with a sneer, "I will finish off the fish girl."

He kept hacking at me with his blade. As I fought, I noticed that the flames around my blade seemed to be going out.

"After that, I'll go outside. I'll cripple the human and kill the red-head in front of him. Only after that will I kill him!"

_No!_

He came at me with an overhead strike. I was able to bring me sword up and our blades clashed. He used the opportunity to force himself in close, my blade still blocking his. The dying flames from my sword were uncomfortably close to my face. He grinned at me through our locked blades. It was fast approaching the point where the only thing I could make out were his red eyes.

"After I kill them, I'll capture the princess," he said, smiling as he said it. "And I'll kill her nice… and… slow."

_ZELDA!_

My vision immediately sharpened as the flames on my sword sprang back to life. "I… won't… let… you… HARM HER!"

I shoved with all my strength, sending my dark doppelganger stumbling back. I could feel a strange sensation on my back as energy I had never felt before flowed through me. The flames on my sword turned white.

Dark Link looked surprised at my sudden boost of energy, but he quickly recovered his smile, "Looks like I hit a nerve."

I dashed at Dark Link and swung my sword at him with all the strength I could muster. He raised his shield, getting ready to block my blow…

My sword connected with his shield, but it kept going. My blade cut through his shield like a knife through butter. Without slowing, I completed the slice, cutting the dark being in half. The white flame quickly began to devour him. He did not have time to make a sound before he was completely consumed, disappearing into nothing.

As I stared in shock at what just happened, I felt the energy that I had just received disappear as quickly as it came. I dropped my sword into the water, causing a hissing noise as the flame-wreathed sword connected to the water. I was vaguely aware of the illusion fading and the room returning to normal. I collapsed to my knees and was about to fall face first onto the ground when I felt hands on my shoulders. I looked up into Ruto's frightened eyes.

"You're h-hurt," she said, her voice trembling.

"Support me while I grab a potion," I told her wearily.

She nodded as I reached with my good arm and grabbed a Red Potion. I quickly uncorked it and drained it, wincing at the taste. Immediately I felt some of my strength return as the wound on my arm knitted itself back together. I was going to be sore for a few days, but it should keep me till I get out of the temple at least.

Luckily, it was going to be easier leaving then it was coming in.

"Link," Ruto said quietly, "You know the symbol on your sword?"

I blinked at her and looked down at the Master Sword where it had fallen. The Orb of Fire had been ejected from the crystal and was lying on the floor next to the hilt. I noticed the symbol on the Master Sword: the Triforce with some lines that seemed to originate from the sacred triangle. That symbol had been on my back?

_Just like with Cody._

Ruto helped me to my feet and grabbed the sword and orb for me. She handed them to me and ran off to grab my shield. I put the orb away, and as I was sheathing the sword, Ruto, spoke up, "About what I said earlier…"

I glanced over to her to see that she was holding my shield to her chest. She was not looking at me. I didn't say anything as I slid the Master Sword back into its sheath. Was she _really_ bringing this back up again?

She took a deep breath before continuing, "I want you to pretend that I never said anything."

I was surprised. This was definitely not what I was expecting. We both turned to face each other at the same time.

"You like her don't you. You always have," she said with a sad smile.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she raised her hand to stop me and shook her head, "You don't have to say it. I already know."

She brought her arm back, closing her eyes as she did this. She seemed to be desperately clutching my shield to her chest. "I promise that I won't bring this back up again, but…" She paused hesitantly, then opened her eyes to look at me. They were glistening with unshed tears, "Can… can we still be friends?"

It felt as if my mouth was dry. It was probably the hardest thing she ever had to say to me. I finally was able to croak out, "Of course."

She dropped my shield and rushed over to me. She grabbed me in a fierce hug as she buried her head in my chest, crying. It was a little uncomfortable do to my recent injury, but I kept my mouth shut. There was no way I was going to say something like that after what she had just told me. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her the best that I could.

She seemed to calm down after a few minutes. Sniffling a little, she asked me, "Will you come to visit this time around?"

"Yeah," I told her, "I promise."

She finally pulled away, rubbing her arms across her eyes as she did so. "Sorry about that," she said with an embarrassed smile. She bent down and picked my shield up off the ground. As she handed it to me, she said cheerfully, "I guess we should head back now."

She ran off towards the hole in the floor that was revealed when the illusion faded. She seemed to be back to her old self, though I knew differently.

"Thanks Ruto," I whispered after her.

I noticed then the chest that was revealed when the illusion cleared. If memory served me correctly, the chest had the Longshot hidden inside it. I retrieved the Longshot from the chest and quickly followed Ruto.

I didn't know how I felt about Zelda. But after what Ruto said, maybe it was time I found out.

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

With a loud crash, I flew through the window of the building by the lake. I hit the ground hard and rolled into a wooden platform on the opposite wall.

"I wonder if Hyrule has some form of jet pack," I said with a groan, "or maybe artificial wings. I could use them."

I checked myself out as I came to my feet. I was covered with all sorts of lacerations from the broken window. My recently repaired jacket was looking to be in bad shape once again, and the Zora Tunic was soaked through with blood in several places. My right arm was hanging uselessly at my side, probably dislocated. I couldn't move it at all.

"Kids today. Always so noisy…"

I spun around, surprised. Standing at a workstation underneath the window that I had just flown through was the old hylian scientist from earlier. What was his name again? Dr. Mizumi? Anyway, he was busily dusting glass shards away from the table he was working at.

"Um…" I said, a little dumbfounded, "Aren't you a little surprised? I just flew through your window."

"No time," he said, picking up some strange tool and bending over the contraption on the desk. "Just a few more adjustments…"

Seriously…

Via flew in through the window in a panic. She flew right up to me, "_Cody! Th-thank the forest you're okay!_"

"Relatively speaking anyway," I said, wincing as I grabbed my right arm. "Can you heal me? I need to get back out there right away."

She flew around me real quick, checking me out. She flew back in front of me and said apologetically, "_Y-yeah. I should be able to…_"

"Why? What's wrong with it?" I asked, more than a little worried.

Seeing Via become silent, I turned to see what was the matter and came face to face with Dr. Mizumi. "Argh!" I cried out as I stumbled and fell down. For an old guy, he sure was quick…

"What's with the fuss boy!" he said, sounding irritated. "I'm just here to help you."

"Um… sorry?" I said. Weird. He seemed so disinterested just a second ago. Via was floating behind him anxiously as the Hylian examined my arm.

"What's that?" he said, pointing off to the side suddenly. I blinked in surprise and looked over to where he was pointing. Strange, there doesn't seem to be anything over-

I screamed as the old man suddenly yanked on my arm, relocating it with a sickening pop. I unleashed a torrent of colorful words that caused poor Via to glow pink with embarrassment.

Dr. Mizumi shook his head at me, "Language dear boy, language!"

I ignored his comment and glared at him, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

He looked at me as if I had asked him what two plus two was, "I fixed your arm. You're welcome by the way."

My mouth was hanging open as the Zora scientist went back to the workstation and immediately went back to work. Via could have healed me without nearly as much fuss… I stared at him for a few seconds, completely dumbfounded, when Via said, "_W-we should probably h-hurry._"

I nodded, "Right."

Via began to glow brightly as she flew rapid circles around me. I felt the healing energies enter me and my wounds close up. Even the ache in my shoulder began to recede. I moved my arm experimentally to make sure that everything was in working order. Satisfied, I nodded my thanks at Via and started to run for the lab's exit.

"Wait!"

I came to a screeching halt right in front of the door and turned to the old man, flabbergasted, "If you haven't noticed yet, a giant blob is attacking…"

"I noticed," he said, sounding irritated. "I also noticed that none of you have the proper equipment to deal with Morpha."

"And I guess that you're saying you do…" I said, humoring him.

He smiled proudly, "As a matter of fact-"

He turned around and grabbed the strange contraption off the table and presented it to me. It reminded me of the hookshot that Link had, but it was a little bit bigger, and instead of the metal point on the front, there were three prongs forming a claw. It also had a hand guard on it, though I was not sure what it could be used for.

I looked at it for a second before looking back at the old man, "How's this supposed to help?"

The scientist rolled his eyes at me, "This is the Clawshot, my newest creation. It can be used to retrieve the eye."

I was wasting too much time with this guy, "Look, it's nice and all, but wouldn't this Morpha thing just block it like all the rest of the attacks?"

"It's a metal projectile fired at a high velocity by a powerful mechanism. It will be very hard to block."

Well, that sounded… smart…

"Okay, okay. I'll take your word for it." At the very least, I'll have a weapon until I can get my sword back. I _knew_ that I should have sheathed it…

I swiped the clawshot from the elderly scientist. "Thanks!" I yelled as I threw open the door. "I'll be sure to bring it back!"

I didn't hear his reply as I burst out of the house and made a break for the shore. Malon and Zelda needed me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It looks like Cody was able to acquire a new weapon, thanks to the old scientist. Now that he has the clawshot, will Cody be able to make short work of Morpha?**

**Stay tuned.**


	22. Giant Aquatic Amoeba: Morpha

**A/N: Hey guys. It's been a while. I'm sorry for the long wait, especially since it was in the middle of a boss fight. I had not intended to take so long so I sincerely apologize to those of you who are following me. This chapter is not as long as the last one (this chapter was a piece that was cut from the last chapter). I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Anyway, now for a quick recap:**

**In the last chapter, Link fought with Dark Link. Dark Link taunted Link in an attempt to make the Hero lose control. However, he went just a little too far when he brought Zelda into the mix. A mysterious new power awoke within Link, giving him the ability to finish Dark Link off. Meanwhile, Cody and Malon plot a way to cheer Zelda up. Malon decides that Cody should talk to her because he might provide insight into Link's "psyche". Though Cody seems to be partially successful, their discussion is interrupted when Morpha attacks. Malon is captured and Cody and Zelda had to fight their way to her. Cody manages to free her, but is thrown into Dr. Mizumi's lab, losing his sword in the process. There, after he is fixed up, Mizumi grants him the prototype Clawshot. Now Cody is ready to reenter the fight with his new weapon.**

**And now, without further ado, I give you part 2 of the Morpha battle.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22: Giant Aquatic Amoeba: Morpha<strong>

_Cody:_

They were still fighting at the shore. I poured my energy into the Zephyr Boots, greatly increasing my speed. I briefly thought about attempting the Quick Step, but quickly dismissed the idea. Now was definitely not the time collapse from fatigue.

It didn't matter anyway, because I made plenty of time. I quickly reached the outer set of tentacles, Via right behind me. Zelda was about halfway in while Malon was fighting directly in the middle of the flailing appendages. Morpha's eye was a little far, but since getting closer was going to be difficult, I decided to chance it.

I planted my feet and took careful aim. Once I was certain, I squeezed the trigger, causing the claws to open and rotate into a locked position. I released the trigger…

The claw shot out of the main body at an amazing speed, the chain not even faltering as it flew to its target.

Unfortunately, the waving tentacles knocked the projectile off course, causing it to miss by a mile. I swore as Morpha finally noticed my reappearance and started swinging at me. I pulled the trigger again which caused the chain to withdraw at an almost terrifying speed. As the chain was withdrawing, I was forced to dodge Morpha's attack…

And I discovered something. When I dodged, I was forced to jump to the side. This changed the trajectory of the chain, causing it to swing through the air instead of coming straight back. Before I could wonder about the wisdom of allowing such a dangerous chain to swing like that…

The chain sliced through one of Morpha's tentacles.

I grinned as I realized a new way to use the clawshot. I pulled the trigger once again, halting the retrieval of the claw, and started using it as a chain whip. The chain ripped through a few more of the tentacles. I spun around, the chain surrounding me in a circular motion as I released the trigger. The claw finished retracting as I finished my spin.

With the destruction of several tentacles, Zelda and Malon finally noticed me.

"Cody!?" they both shouted in surprise.

Given the circumstances, I'm still not sure what made me do it, but when they shouted my name, I grinned at them, "Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment. I know."

I didn't bother waiting to see what their reply was. I moved in closer and took another shot at Morpha's eye. Again, it deflected the shot and again, I spun around severing more tentacles with the chain than I could with the shorter reach of the Dimensional Sword. Using this method, I was able to make my way to Zelda's position.

Zelda was doing pretty good herself. She was using explosive fireball spells on some of the tentacles, and any that got too close got a taste of her kodachi.

As I moved up next to her, we set ourselves up back to back, facing down the tentacles that were starting to surround us again. Does this thing ever stop regenerating its tentacles!?

"Where did you get that weapon?" she asked calmly as she slashed down another watery appendage.

"Oh you know," I said as I shot the claw through another tentacle and swung the chain to take down a second one, "mad scientist living on the hill and all that."

"_H-he wasn't that bad,_" Via said, hiding between me and Zelda.

"Yeah, you're right," I said. Probably best not to tell her that I was just joking around. "He told me that the Clawshot can easily get at Morpha's eye."

"Clawshot?" Zelda asked, surprised. "I thought you were using a Hookshot?"

"I'll explain it later, right now we need to help Malon."

Against a monster like Morpha, Malon was at a distinct disadvantage. With only her bow and arrows, she did not have anything that she could use to fend off the tentacles other than the bow itself. Malon was spending most of her time swinging at the tentacles, unable to fire any of the arrows that I had retrieved for her.

"Agreed," Zelda said. "Cover me."

"Wait, that's my line!" I shouted at her, but she was already gone. Zelda started dashing at the mass of tentacles that kept us separated from Malon. I looked on in shock as Zelda closed in on the appendages at a rapid rate.

"_Th-there's no way she can m-make that!_" Via said in shock.

I silently agreed with her. Zelda was good, but I didn't think she was _that_ good…

Turns out I shouldn't have worried. She was almost upon the tentacles when her body became surrounded with a green glow. Right before my very eyes, it appeared as if her entire turned into a green ball of light. The energy ball passed through the tentacles as if they weren't even there, kicking up a large burst of wind in the process. Once on the other side, the ball of energy rematerialized into Zelda.

I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open as Zelda lightly touched down on the other side, her kodachi at the ready.

"You're so teaching me that later!" I yelled at her as I returned my attention to the tentacles around me. I continued trying to hit the eye with the Clawshot. Unfortunately, I discovered one thing…

My aim seriously sucked…

Most of my shots missed wide (though that was partially because I couldn't take the time to aim), but I was also having issues even when I did get enough breathing time to actually aim. Morpha only had to work a little to block my attacks.

Where's Link and his Hookshot when you need him…

I ripped through another set of tentacles with the chain of the Clawshot when I noticed something. Morpha's eye was floating around from tentacle to tentacle, never staying still for very long. The question was, how could I stop its movements long enough to hit it?

"Zelda!"

Zelda cut down another tentacle while simultaneously firing off a fireball at another, "What is it?"

"Can you help me destroy the tentacles around the eye?"

"We can try," Zelda said as she calmly took down another tentacle. "But if we take out too many, Morpha's eye might retreat into the lake and we'll _really_ be in trouble."

I grumbled in frustration. "Then how…"

An idea popped into my head. Instead of taking down the tentacles surrounding the eye for a clear shot, maybe I should just protect the claw with a wind barrier. I needed the Orb of Winds. Unfortunately, it was still in my sword which was lying on the shore next to Zelda and Malon. And of course, they were blocked by a lot of tentacles.

"Hey guys!" I yelled out to them. "Could you toss me my sword?"

Malon was finally able to take a shot at Morpha's eye, but the arrow was easily blocked by the thrashing tentacles, "We're a little busy at the moment!"

"I need the Orb of Winds!"

I saw Zelda glance at me, then at the sword that was still lying on the shore, emitting a green glow. Whether or not she understood why I needed it I could not be sure, but she wasted no more time in rushing over to the fallen blade. Instead of picking it up, however, she instead crouched down and waved her hand over the crystal on the hilt, causing the Orb of Winds to pop out.

Zelda quickly jumped away from a tentacle that tried to attack her. She grabbed something off her belt that I could not see and seemed to fiddle with it for a few seconds.

"What are you-?" I stopped abruptly when I finally saw what was in her hand. It was a throwing needle.

And it was glowing with a green light.

_That's possible!?_

She tossed the needle at the wall of watery tentacles separating us. The wind picked up, allowing the small needle to easily tear through wall. The needle hit the ground next to my feet, causing a huge gust to pick up. I grinned as I quickly snatched the needle off the ground and dodged an incoming tentacle.

"Thanks!"

I withdrew the orb from the needle (it's not very difficult, you just have to concentrate a little), then immediately jammed it into the Clawshot. It glowed green as the wind started to swirl around it. If I missed, then Morpha would probably be much more wary of me, making this much more difficult. Heck, it may even concentrate on taking me out.

I dodged a few more tentacles, unwilling to fire off the Clawshot just yet. I finally got some breathing room. I pulled the trigger, locking the claw, and took careful aim…

_Please, please, _please_ don't miss…_

I released the trigger, letting the claw fly.

A very strong gust surrounded the claw as it sailed towards to its target. Morpha spotted the projectile and swiped at it. The wind surrounding the claw ripped through the water, destroying the tentacles. Maybe it was surprise, but Morpha's eye did not move as the claw rushed towards it.

The force of the impact aided by the Orb of Winds caused the claw to push Morpha's eye out of the back of the tentacle with a resounding splash. Once the eye lost contact with the water, all of the tentacles dissolved, falling to the ground and back into the lake. Needless to say, we were all soaked. Poor Via was dropped to the ground by the weight of the water, squealing the entire time.

I quickly withdrew the claw. As it locked back into the main firing chamber, I swung the device, causing the eye to get flung up farther away from the water.

"Malon! Zelda! NOW!"

Again, I really didn't need to bother. Multiple arrows were already flying towards the eye from Malon as well as a few fireballs from Zelda. All of the projectiles hit the mark. The impact from the arrows spun the eye around, and the explosions from the fireballs threw the eyeball even farther. The eye landed, spinning in place. We watched in trepidation as the eye slowly stopped spinning. It looked at us and blinked once, then burst into blue flames. The flames quickly ate away at the eye until the only thing left was a circular patch where the grass had been burned away.

Overkill is a beautiful thing.

As soon as the eye was gone, I was overcome by a wave of exhaustion. I dropped the Clawshot and collapsed to my knees. I leaned back and supported myself with my arms. Looking into the sky, I started to laugh. I was overwhelmed by this sense of relief. I have to say, it felt pretty good.

Via floated down onto my shoulder and vibrated her wings rapidly to shake off the excess water. It was hard to tell due to her glow, but I could swear that she was giving me a look of concern, "_Are you o-okay?_"

It took me a second to calm down long enough to answer her. I wiped the tears from my eyes and answered her, "Yeah. Don't worry. I'm alright."

I felt something touch the side of my face. I quickly turned to look to see what it was. Zelda was standing over me, holding a bottle filled with a green substance.

"You used a lot of magic today," she said with a small smile. "This should allow you to recover your energy."

I took the bottle and felt my face involuntarily form into a grimace, "Is this, by any chance, as bad tasting as the red potion?"

Zelda seemed thoughtful for a second, "Well…"

I winced, "Never mind, I get it."

I chugged it quickly in the hopes that I would not have to taste it too much. It tasted pretty bad. I sincerely hoped that I was never going to have to drink it ever again, though that seemed unlikely.

As I finished the potion, Zelda sat down on my left. Malon came over as well and sat down on my right.

She sighed, "That wasn't fun. Tentacles…" She gave an involuntary shudder.

Zelda chuckled, "Yeah. From what I understand, Link didn't like Morpha much either."

We sat on the bank of the shore, resting as we waited for the return of Link and Ruto. We remained silent for a while when I noticed that the usually calm and composed Zelda was fidgeting. I looked at her questioningly.

She eventually noticed my stare. She sighed, then asked, "Is… Is what you said true?"

I just blinked at her.

"You know," she said, looking away. Was she actually _blushing_!? "What you said earlier… About Link…"

I blinked again, and then grinned at her, "Of course. The reason why I was teasing him earlier was because of how uncomfortable he looked."

"Oh," she said. I felt a nudge on my right side. I turned to see Malon looking at me, smiling happily at me.

I smiled back at her and she blushed. She turned away and spoke rather shyly, "Cody, can I tell you something?"

I blinked once again (I seem to be doing that a lot), "Yeah. What's up?"

"Well…"

Malon was interrupted by Zelda when she gasped. Malon and I quickly turned to look toward the island in the middle of the lake. Stumbling out of the water was Link, being supported by Ruto. He looked pretty bad. His tunic was ripped in several places and stained with blood. There was a particularly bad tear over his right shoulder, but I didn't see any wounds. I shuddered when I realized he must have drunk a red potion.

"Link!" Zelda cried out, springing to her feet and rushing off to the injured hylian. I jumped to my feet as well and was about to run off after her when I felt Malon grab the back of my jacket.

I turned around and noticed that she was still blushing. I raised my eyebrow, wondering what was up.

"I…" Malon started, but she shook her head. "I'll tell you later."

She released my jacket and ran off after Zelda. Something was up with Malon. I didn't know exactly what it was but…

Was it… _that_?

I shook my head to clear it. No time to think about it now. I ran off after them to check on Link, Via still perched on my shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: They now have four of the six Elemental Orbs. Only two left to go. Will Cody finally be able to go home? And what does Malon have to say to Cody?**

**The next chapter is the most emotionally charged chapter in the fanfic.**

**Stay tuned.**


	23. Via's Secret, Malon's Confession

**A/N: Hey guys! Wow, I can't believe it's been over a year since I last posted. Sorry about the wait (I kind of wish I had a battle to throw your way, but unfortunately I don't).**

**Part of the reason I'm posting now after all this time is because I have recently been giving this story a lot of thought. Besides which, I really want to finish it.**

**The other reason is because I have a message for someone who has been leaving reviews anonymously and I promised myself that I would never post a chapter that was only an Author's Note.**

**To Tourettes Guy: Whether or not you actually have tourettes aside, it is **_**extremely**_ **unlikely that it would cause you to type out several phrases on the keyboard (the action required is way too complex to be considered a tic). Even if we were to assume that it **_**could**_ **be possible, it is highly unlikely that it would cause you to hit the submit button on the review after you typed everything in. So please stop filling my email inbox and the review page of my story with your obscenity. I'm getting tired of deleting them.**

**If you continue, then I will have no choice but to take this story down for good. This is something that I **_**really **_**don't want to do. So please refrain from posting reviews unless you can at least edit what you type after you type it. I really wish to finish this story.**

***Ahem* Now that that is out of the way, may I present to you next chapter of Ocarina of Dimensions!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23: Via's Secret, Malon's Confession<strong>

_Cody:_

It had taken a few extra days for Link to recover (and I didn't mind the break either). During that time, I had noticed that Zelda seemed to perk up a lot more. During our time off we practiced our fighting skills a bit, though nothing ever too serious. I tried to ask Malon about the thing she wanted to tell me, but she would always blush and say that she would tell me later.

I don't think I will ever understand women…

During those days, we got several surprises. One was that I was allowed to keep the Clawshot.

"Are you sure?" I had asked him.

The old scientist looked a little annoyed as he had replied, "Of course. I made it so that it could be used, and _I_ certainly can't use it. I already have the designs, so I can make another if need be. Just be sure to take good care of it."

The other surprise had been when Ruto had asked to speak with Zelda privately. I don't know what they talked about, but after the conversation, I noticed that Zelda seemed much happier.

She even called me by my first name more often, though not often enough in my opinion.

When Link had finally recovered, we set out back for the wagon and horses. Ruto accompanied us all the way to the gate as well. We said our goodbyes and she grabbed Link in a tight hug (Zelda looked a little miffed). She let go fairly quickly though and after a quick farewell, jumped into the water and swam upstream.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going now?" I asked sometime later. We were finally back on Hyrule Field and were trotting along at a quick clip. I sat up front with Malon, Via riding on my shoulders. Link and Zelda stayed in the back. Zelda was currently polishing her Kodachi while Link was examining a strange pair of boots that looked as if they had jet engines attached (ummm… what?).<p>

"We're going to the Gerudo Fortress," Link replied without looking up. "It should be safer going there than to the Shadow Temple at this time."

"Gerudo…" I said thoughtfully. "Hey! Aren't the Gerudo the race of nothing but women?"

"Yeah," Link replied.

"I see," I said, becoming lost in thought.

Malon turned and glanced at me, her eyes narrowing, "Alright. What are you thinking about...?"

Damn, I knew I should have kept my big mouth shut, "Well, if there's only women… um… how do they… that is to say…"

Malon kept staring at me, and I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. "I'll be shutting up now…"

This shall forever remain one of the mysteries of Hyrule I guess…

* * *

><p>It was about mid-afternoon. I was too afraid to speak up after my little blunder earlier so I was not aware of how close to the Gerudo Fortress we were. It was around this time that Zelda spoke to me.<p>

"Hey Mr. Williams. Could I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what's up?" I had pretty much given up on Zelda calling me by my first name.

"How do you feel about learning magic?"

I spun around so fast that Via was flung from my shoulder, letting out a surprised "_Hey!_" when she caught herself in midair. "Magic! Are you serious!?"

Zelda was a little taken aback by my sudden interest, but she quickly recovered and smiled, "Yes. You've acquired many magical items recently. I thought it best to teach you some easy spells so that you could build your magical stamina. You might even be able to use the Quick Step again."

Ah yes, the Quick Step. Using the power of the Zephyr Boots, I could move at such high speeds that it is nearly impossible to avoid or block my attack. Unfortunately, it leaves me so drained that I'm pretty much useless afterwards. I've only used it once, but it would certainly be nice to have a trump card ability that I could _actually_ rely on.

"So," I said thoughtfully, smiling to myself. "If I learn from you, I'll gain the MP bar I need in order to use the attack, so to speak."

Zelda blinked, "Um… I'm not sure what an MP bar is, but you should definitely be able to build up your magical ability. At the very least, you won't be tired out by using the Orbs and your boots."

I sighed. Why couldn't there be another earthling here who could get my jokes? _Why?_

"Don't worry about it. It's an Earth thing," I said. "But yeah, I'd love to learn from you. When do we start?"

"Tonight, right before your sword training," Zelda said. "We'll take a break from the Sheikah techniques for the evening."

I nodded, grinning, "Cool, thanks."

Zelda nodded her head at me and turned back around. I turned back around and felt Via settle back on my shoulder, "_C-could you be a little more c-careful next time?_"

"Sorry," I said a little sheepishly, still grinning like an idiot. I shot a grin at Malon as well and she returned it with a smile of her own. I guess she wasn't mad at me anymore.

It was then that I noticed she blushed and she quickly turned back around to keep a better eye on what she was doing. I frowned at this. She had been doing this ever since the Morpha battle. What was going on?

"Hey Malon?" I asked a little hesitantly.

"Hmm?" she replied, still not looking at me. Her face was starting to match the color of her hair.

"Well, about the other day…" I stopped, hoping she would get my meaning.

She didn't respond for a few seconds, making me wonder if she was going to force me to specify what I was talking about. Before I could open my mouth though, she said quietly, "Could we… talk privately after dinner…"

I was silent for a second before I nodded, my face heating up again. Wait, why was _I _feeling embarrassed?

Looks like tonight is going to be a full night for me…

* * *

><p>"What are we going to learn first?" I asked enthusiastically. The way I was bouncing around, one might think that I was a child on Christmas morning. I'm going to get to learn <em>actual<em> spells!

Currently, Malon and Link were setting up the camp. Via had gone back to hiding in my hood for the time being. Why she thought she would be comfortable there when I was this excited was beyond me.

"Will I get to light things on fire?" I asked as I thrust my arm out as if I was unleashing a flamethrower from my palm. "Or maybe summon lightning from the sky!" I exclaimed as I suddenly raised my arms up to the sky, invoking the clouds to answer my "call" for power.

Zelda just blinked at me, confused by my strange antics (sometimes I can't help myself). Eventually, she cleared her throat and said, "Spells like those take years to learn. Not to mention they require concentration and an excellent memory to memorize the incantations. That's something that you would not be able to easily do while engaged in melee combat."

I frowned as I put my hands down, "Then what am I going to learn?"

"We'll start small," Zelda said, holding out her hand. A ball of glowing red energy glowed in her hand. It got brighter for a brief moment, but quickly calmed down. Thinking that the light show was over, I was shocked to discover something was floating in her hand.

"This," Zelda said with a smile, "is the Din's Fire spell."

Floating in her hand was a clear prism with a small ball of red energy in the middle. I gingerly held out my cupped hand and accepted the crystal from her. As I stared at the crystal in wonder, I could feel a strange warmth. It wasn't painful. Just the opposite. It was actually pretty nice.

"If you remember, Din was one of the three goddesses responsible for the creation of Hyrule. She represents power, something that is replicated by the spell you hold in your hands."

Zelda then gestured to the crystal in my hands, "Hold it to your heart, like this." She pressed her arms to her heart to emphasize.

Nodding, I did as I was instructed. When the crystal touched my chest, it pulsed once, then absorbed into me. I felt the warm energy spread throughout my entire body. The warmth eventually died down though. I looked up at Zelda, and she nodded her head in approval.

"Now that that's out of the way, it's time we actually cast the spell." Zelda held out her hand away from the camp. In her palm, a small fireball appeared. It pulsed briefly, then flew out of Zelda's hand. It flew about twenty feet before Zelda clenched her fist, causing the small fireball to explode with a small amount of force.

Zelda turned back to me, "It's rather simple. You just have to visualize the fireball and concentrate. After that, you have to imagine it flying away. After that, all you have to do is clench your fist in order to detonate it."

"That's it?" I said uncertainly. It sounded a little too easy.

Zelda nodded. "There are other ways to use the spell, but we'll concentrate on this one for now."

I nodded my head and raised my arm in the same general direction. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Like she said, I visualized a ball of energy forming in my hand. I felt a minor drain on my energy, but nothing big. Was it even work-

"M-Mr. Williams!" Zelda exclaimed.

Zelda's stuttering. This is probably a very bad sign. My eyes snapped open…

The fireball that was in my hand was several times bigger than the one Zelda had summoned, and it was getting bigger by the second. My eyes widened in panic, "_What_!?"

"Send it away, quickly!" Zelda exclaimed.

"R-right."

I quickly imagined it flying away, and it suddenly shot from my hand as if it was fired from a canon. It travelled the twenty feet that Zelda's had flow in less than half the time and kept going. I saw that it was heading straight for a tree. Just as it was about to hit the tree, I involuntarily took a step back, closing my fist in the process…

With a resounding _bang_ that was probably heard back home on Earth, the fireball went off right next to the tree. The tree exploded under the force of the blast, sending pieces of flaming splinters flying in all directions. Zelda and I stood there silently, watching the remnants of the shattered tree rain down. I took a chance and glanced behind me to see Link and Malon's reactions. Link had been carrying firewood, but had dropped it at some point and was staring wide-eyed at the tree. Malon's mouth was agape. Hiding behind her neck, Via poke out cautiously out from underneath Malon's hair. I guess she fled from my hood as soon as the explosion occurred (a wise decision if you ask me).

Zelda eventually regained her composure. She coughed into her hand, then said, "How about we start off with a spell that's less likely to get us killed. Like a shielding spell."

I just sighed…

* * *

><p>"So were you trying to blow up <em>all<em> of Hyrule, or just most of it?"

I shot Link a glare. He was probably paying me back for all the teasing that I did over the Ruto incident.

All in all, it had been a pretty eventful evening. I learned how to use the spell Naryu's Love as well as Farore's Wind. Both were pretty nifty (teleportation is _awesome_), but I ended up downing two green potions to keep from passing out (bleh!).

"I have to admit, it was pretty amazing," Zelda said as she took a bite out of her food. We were having something called Cucco (in fact, the chicken creature that little Nadine was chasing was one of these Cuccos). I still did not know what the difference between a Cucco and a Chicken was, but I do know that Cuccos are delicious.

"A-amazing?" I asked, a little stunned.

"Yeah," she said, smiling at me. "I haven't seen a blast like that from a beginner since I started using magic."

Link immediately burst into laughter, nearly dropping his food onto the ground. "I remember that! Didn't you almost burn down the entire Royal Garden?"

Zelda coughed into her hand to hide her embarrassment, "It might be a good idea to leave Cody alone for now."

Even I had to chuckle at that one. Surprisingly, Via also laughed from her vantage point on my shoulder. We lapsed into relative silence as we continued eating. Malon and Zelda were making some idle chit chat that I was not paying attention to. I was just starting to finish my food when Link cleared his throat.

"Via?"

The little green fairy froze on my shoulder. Maybe it was just my imagination, but her light seemed to grow paler.

"_Y-yes?_" she asked fearfully.

Link stared at Via for a few minutes, looking as if he was lost in thought. Eventually he took a deep breath, and finally asked, "How… how do you know… Navi?"

Via remained frozen on my shoulder, her light becoming almost white. The name Link mentioned sounded… familiar. I wracked my brain and finally remembered it being mentioned way back in Kokiri Forest. Something about Navi being Link's guardian?

Via sat frozen for a little bit, "_I… I… ugh…_"

Via had started quivering. I looked at the poor fairy. What happened that caused her to be this way?

"Would…" I started hesitantly. For some reason, I had reservations. "Would you like the rest of us to leave? Do you need to speak of this privately?"

Via turned to look at me. She stared for some time, then looked around at the others gathered around the campfire. Finally after what felt like an eternity, she finally calmed down a little, the color of her light shifting a little back to green.

"_It's f-fine,_" she said. She turned to Link and said, "_Navi was… Navi was…_"

She took a deep breath.

"_Navi was… she was my mother_."

We all stared at her in shock.

* * *

><p><em>Via:<em>

She wasn't my mother in the literal sense. Fairies weren't born the same way that many of the other creatures of Hyrule are born. In fact, we actually come from the Great Deku Tree himself. Though I've heard of fairies that were born from Great Fairies, I was one of the ones born directly from the Great Deku Tree.

When a fairy is born, they are born completely aware. We have the ability to fly, communicate, anything necessary for survival. I still remember the day I was born. It was like I had woken up after being asleep for a long time. It's a strange feeling, knowing things, but not actually having any memories. All of us were a little disoriented.

Ever since that moment, I knew that I was different. There were several different types of fairies. The two that were normally born from the Great Deku Tree were the Fairy Guardians that often served as guides for the Kokiri, and the Healing Fairies whose sole purpose was to sacrifice their own life force in order to save another.

I was neither, or more accurately, I was both.

Unlike the normal Healing Fairy, my life force did not deplete whenever I healed. In fact, my healing abilities far surpassed all of my other sisters. And to add insult to injury, I wasn't even the right color. I could turn pink when I was embarrassed, but it wasn't the same. I became withdrawn from everybody, seeking refuge in the forest, hiding away from everyone. I was scared of how everyone might treat me. I didn't think that anybody would understand.

I lived that way for about five years, till a twist of fate brought me and Navi face to face.

"_Hey!_" Navi had called out to me, flying after me when I tried to escape.

"_G-go away!_" I yelled at the persistent fairy.

She never gave up though and eventually caught up to me. I distinctly remember how pushy she was. I kept telling her I did not need anybody to help me, that I was just fine on my own.

"_Maybe…_" she had said doubtfully. "_But aren't you lonely?_"

From that day on, we were together almost everyday. She showed me around, introduced me to many of the other fairies (mostly against my will), and just hung out with me in general. She was around a hundred years old if I remember it correctly, and I was only five. We stayed together for about three years.

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

It was the longest that Via had ever spoken. It wasn't a long tale, but for Via this was something of shock. She fell silent after telling her story.

"I'm sorry Via," Link said apologetically. "I know I must be bringing up painful memories, it's just that…"

Link stopped though when he noticed what was happening to Via.

She had turned almost completely white. Her body was shaking violently on my shoulder. I stared in alarm as sobs started ripping from her throat.

Link was alarmed as well. "V-Via! Are you alright? What's-?"

"_I s-saw her the day she died!_"

Link froze.

The only sounds around the campfire were the cries of the little fairy. Nobody was willing to say anything anymore. The mood around the campfire had drastically changed from the light-hearted jabbing from earlier.

Link's face became devoid of all emotion. He directed his gaze at his knees as he asked, "How? When?"

Via kept crying. Between her tears, she continued to speak, "_It was… s-seven years ago. She had d-disappeared… She w-was gone for a-b-bout two d-days… She sh-showed up…_"

Via started crying harder now. Link remained silent as he waited for her to finish her story.

"_She had a d-dark curse on her… It was more powerful th-than anything I had e-ever seen before… I… I tried so h-hard… I couldn't remove it…_"

Via's cries died down. It was as if she had cried herself out. However, she did not stop speaking.

"_She told me… She told me the story… Her adventure through time… With you… She asked me something… Made me promise…_"

Via started sniffling heavily. Then, with a loud wail, "_She m-made me promise to tell you wh-what happened to her! I promised, and I c-couldn't do it! I couldn't f-face you after my failure! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!_"

Via started crying again, squeaking out an apology between her tears every now and again. I reached my hand towards her, but hesitated. What could I do? How could I help? I felt so helpless.

Link stood up and started walking towards where I sat with Via. His face was hidden in shadow, so I could not tell what he was thinking.

"Link…" Zelda said softly. She looked at him a little fearfully.

I watched Link cautiously as he finally came up right next to me. What was he going to do?

Link abruptly fell to his knees and I could finally see his face. To my relief, there was not a trace of anger. However, I had never seen him look this sad before.

"You loved her too, didn't you?"

Via abruptly stopped crying. She turned towards Link as her color started shifting back to green. "_Wh-what?_"

Link continued, "I guess I always knew. She wouldn't abandon me without a reason, and she definitely would have come back if she could."

Via remained silent as she listened to Link's speech.

"You've known her longer, so I can't imagine what it must be like for you. I just want to let you know… I'm glad she had a friend like you. And I believe that she would be proud of you for all that you've done on this journey."

"_Pr-proud?_" she asked, her voice trembling. "_But I hurt you. I r-ran away from my responsibility. I… I…_"

"It's okay," Link said, bowing his head to the trembling fairy. "It doesn't matter. I forgive you."

"_For…give…_"

Suddenly, Via was engulfed in a bright green light.

"Via!" I shouted as I shielded my eyes.

As suddenly as it appeared, the light vanished. I removed my hand and gasped.

The green glow that surrounded Via had dimmed down to a new level where I could actually make out her figure. Now perched on my shoulder was a tiny girl. She looked like she could be eight years old, even though she had to be around fifteen. She wore a simple dress that looked to be green (though that could be a trick of the green glow). She looked like she could be a thumb-sized hylian (at least, she had the pointed ears of a hylian). Her green hair extended down to the middle of her back. Her insect-like wings extended from underneath her hair. Currently she was staring at Link.

She stood up and faced Link, tears shining in her eyes.

"_Thank you,_" she said, bowing her head "_Thank you so much!_"

* * *

><p>"Hey Via?" I asked sometime later.<p>

The group had separated for the night. Link had gone off somewhere to be alone. I guess after everything he heard, he needed some time to think. I was hovering around near the wagon, Via still perched on my shoulder.

"_Yes?_" she asked me, blinking her eyes (it's going to take some time to get used to Via's new appearance).

"It's been on my mind for awhile," I started. "But I was wondering… Why did you come to me in the woods?"

Via gazed at me for a few seconds before she answered, "_It's just that… your sword looked like the one that Navi described. I knew you weren't Link but… I was tired… tired of being alone._"

"Ah." It made sense. It was a little disheartening that she came to me for such a reason though.

"_I'm really glad though,_" she said, her glow gradually changing to pink. "_I'm glad that the one who carried that sword was you._"

I felt my face heat up after what Via said. I turned away to hide my embarrassment and said, "Yeah. I'm glad that I met you too."

We stood there in awkward silence, until finally, "_Well, I'm exhausted. I'm going to go ahead and go to sleep. Goodnight!_"

Via took off from my shoulder, as soon as she took off, the glow around her body intensified back to what it was originally. Before she could fly to my hood though, "Hey Via, I just noticed something."

"_Hmm? What is it?_"

"I don't think I've ever seen you go this long without stuttering," I said grinning.

Via glowed bright pink, "_I-I don't know wh-what you're talking about!_"

With that, she darted into my hood. I guess I spoke too soon? With a chuckle I turned back towards the campfire…

And came face to face with Malon.

"Whoa!" I said, jumping back a little. "I didn't even hear you approach."

Malon giggled, "Sorry. I can't help it if you're oblivious."

"I'll give you that one," I said with a chuckle.

We lapsed into an awkward silence.

"Umm…?"

"That is…"

We both spoke at the same time and laughed nervously. In all of the excitement of the evening, I had almost forgotten that Malon had asked to speak to me privately. Now that it was happening, I felt strangely nervous. I was not sure what she wanted to talk about, but…

I was starting to get fidgety.

"You go first," I said.

"R-right," she said. She rarely sounded this nervous...

Malon turned her head upwards, gazing at the night sky. "How long has it been… since we met I mean?"

I scratched my head as I continued to watch her, "I don't really know. I'd say it was about two weeks?"

"Two weeks…" she said softly. "It's strange. At times it feels like we only just met, and other times that I've always known you."

"Is that so," I said, glancing down at my feet, my hand still on the back of my head. "To be honest, I've always been grateful to you."

Malon finally turned her gaze back to me, looking a little confused. "Why?"

"You were the first person to believe in me," I said, my face heating up some more. "Not the hero I was supposed to be, but the real Cody, the real me."

Malon smiled. She turned her entire body to face me, her hands clasped behind her back.

"The thing is…" She unclasped her hands, hanging them at her side. She closed her eyes as her face turned red. "I… I really like you. It's more than just as a friend. A-and I was wondering if you felt the same way?"

I was struck speechless. On some level, I think I knew that she felt this way, but now that it was out in the open, I no longer knew what to do. The thing is, I really wanted to tell her that I liked her that way as well. In all honesty, she was one of the biggest reasons that I was sane right now…

So why? Why could I not answer her…?

Malon opened her eyes after a while, responding to my silence. "C-Cody?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"I… I don't know how I feel…" I said, staring down at my feet. "I'm sorry."

She blinked, "Y-you don't?"

I kept my eyes facing down, unable to look at her. "I'm sorry. It's just that… my life has been turned upside down. I… don't want to lie to you and hurt you later. I need to sort out my issues before I can answer you honestly. Again… I'm sorry."

We stayed that way for a long time. "I… I understand," she said, a smile returning to her lips. However, I could hear something else hidden under her tone. Disappointment? Sadness? I didn't know.

"Well, it's getting late," she said. "We should probably get some sleep."

She turned around and quickly retreated. I watched as she left, unable to move to follow her. I could not help but feel bad about the entire situation.

_I'm sorry Malon…_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I have to say, I felt almost as uncomfortable as Cody did with how the end of this chapter turned out.**

**Anyhow, we finally learned Via's origins. Not only that, she transformed! Was her appearance the only thing that was changed? And what about Malon and Cody? What is holding Cody back? AND WILL THE AUTHOR EVER FINISH THIS STORY!**

**Tune in next time for Chapter 24: The Gerudo Fortress!**


	24. The Gerudo Fortress

**A/N: Greetings everyone! Seems I'm pushing this one out a lot sooner than I did the last one eh? Then again, not that hard seeing as the last one took over a year… Sorry about that again by the way…**

**I had to rush this chapter because I'm leaving on vacation and will not be able to work on the story while I'm out. Hopefully I'll still generate some ideas for the battles that seem to be elusive.**

**Anyhow, I'm sure you guys don't want to read me rambling on, so let's get started!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24: The Gerudo Fortress<strong>

_Link:_

"Do they seem to be acting strange to you?"

"Strange?" I asked with a frown. "How so?"

Zelda sighed. We had just reached the entrance of Gerudo Valley and were heading the rest of the way on foot. Zelda and I were leading the group this time with Cody and Malon bringing up the rear.

"They seem to be avoiding each other for starters."

I glanced discretely behind me. They were keeping a pretty healthy distance from each other, and it appeared like they were having a contest of who could look at the other the least.

I shrugged, "I'm not going to step into the middle of that if I don't have to."

"And I thought you were supposed to be the courageous one," Zelda said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey! There's a fine line between courage and stupidity."

We were just starting to enter the valley proper when Via flew over and landed on Zelda's shoulder. Her glow died down as she landed, revealing her hidden humanoid form. I wonder if I will ever get used to seeing a fairy like this?

"_Do you mind if I sit here?_" Via asked Zelda politely.

"I don't really mind," Zelda said, looking a little confused. "But don't you usually like riding in Mr. Williams' hood?"

Via hugged herself and shivered. "_Normally yes. But it's just... too... much... tension..._"

"Is it really that bad?" Zelda asked with some concern. "Do you know what happened?"

Via glowed a little pink at that. "_K-kinda. I don't want to say anything though since I kinda heard it by accident._"

"I hope they can work it out," I said with a sigh. No use worrying over it too much unless it starts to interfere with our mission. "By the way Via, why do you look like that now if you don't mind me asking?"

"_Eh!? I d-don't know,_" she said glowing a bright enough pink that her features were obscured again.

"I wonder if she's a Great Fairy Sprite?" Zelda said thoughtfully.

"A what?" both me and Via asked at the same time.

"You know, a fairy who will one day be a Great Fairy."

I shuddered a little at the thought of Via transforming into one of those disturbing creatures. It seemed a little far fetched to me.

If I thought that Via's features were obscured before, it was nothing compared to how brightly she was glowing now.

"_M-me!? A Great Fairy!? Th-there's no way that can be tr-true!_"

"And why not?" Zelda said with a gentle smile. "I think you would be great as a Great Fairy."

"_But..._"

"You should just agree with her," I said with a grin. "She _is _the former bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom after all."

"_Leave me alone..._" she muttered, still glowing pink.

Zelda and I both chuckled at her embarrassment.

"Halt!"

We had just made it to the bridge that would allow us to cross Gerudo Valley. Standing just in front of the bridge, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere, was one of the elite Gerudo Guards. Currently, her two scimitars were sheathed (surprising considering how well armed our little group was).

"I'll handle this," Zelda said, taking a step forward. Via flitted over to my shoulder as Zelda walked up to the guard. As she walked, I noticed her bearing change from that of a Sheikah warrior to a royal princess of Hyrule in the space of a couple of steps.

It was actually a little surprising. I was so used to her traveling with us that I never noticed the point where she started to relax around us.

_Strange... What is this I'm feeling...?_

Zelda walked up to the guard and gave a short, respectful bow of her head. "Greetings. I am sorry to intrude, but I seek an audience with your leader."

The Gerudo woman's eyes narrowed as she regarded Zelda. Her eyes flicked up to the rest of us, seemingly analyzing the group. Her gaze finally returned to Zelda.

"I'm afraid that I can't let you in. We're currently on lockdown and cannot entertain guests."

I frowned a little to myself. It was probably related to the break in that happened a few weeks ago. It wasn't surprising that they were still a little on edge.

Zelda bowed her head once again, but kept it down, "Please. It is of the utmost importance that we speak with Nabooru. It is in relation to what happened here a few weeks ago."

The Gerudo guard immediately became more cautious. Her hands slowly started to reach for her scimitars. "How would an outsider know about that?"

_Uh oh..._

It looked like things were about to get out of hand real fast. I tensed up, ready to draw my sword at a moment's notice.

"Uh... guys?"

I glance over my shoulder at where Cody and Malon were...

Cody and Malon both had their weapons drawn and were back to back. Surrounding them were three Gerudo Guards, their weapons already drawn.

The Master Sword was already in my hand. "You best back off!" I muttered angrily.

"I'd calm down boy if I were you."

I turned back to glare at the Gerudo Guard that had just spoken to me. However she was no longer alone. Zelda was surrounded just like Malon and Cody. Zelda had not drawn her kodachi though. Either she's trying to go with the non threatening approach, or...

She realized that fighting would be useless.

"Please," Zelda said, her head still bowed. "We will cooperate with you. Just take us to Nabooru."

I had to admire her composure. I would have started swinging my sword about now. Though I didn't like the idea of becoming a prisoner, I knew that it would probably be the fastest way to get to Nabooru. Once she realized who we were, we would immediately be released. I'm pretty sure that was what Zelda's plan was.

The Gerudo Guard had other ideas however. "Last time I checked, I don't take orders from an outsider."

I took a threatening step forward, but the Gerudo Guard halted me. "I wouldn't be so hasty if I were you."

I froze in place. We were clearly outnumbered and completely surrounded. They had completely gotten the drop on us. Even if we _did_ manage to fight our way out, we would be no closer to getting to Nabooru or the Spirit Temple.

"_What can we do?_" Via whispered nervously from my shoulder.

I couldn't answer. All I could do was glower at the guards. _Was_ there anything that I could do?

"STAND DOWN!"

The Gerudos all looked startled. The one on the bridge quickly turned around to see who had called out...

Standing at the foot of the bridge, looking regal in her pink Gerudo attire, was none other than the leader of the Gerudos: Nabooru.

The guard looked stunned at the unexpected order. "But my lady..."

"No buts," Nabooru said walking past the guard. She bowed her head to Zelda. "I've been expecting you, Princess."

All the guards looked shocked to say the least. They reluctantly put away their weapons. Once they were all sheathed, I put away my own weapon as well (I could hear Cody and Malon doing that behind me as well).

Both Nabooru and Zelda raised their heads at the same time. Nabooru put her hand on Zelda's shoulder and grinned. "How about we go to someplace more private, eh?"

She looked over Zelda's shoulder and smiled at me as well. "That goes for you and your friends as well Link."

I nodded at her, returning her smile. "Thanks. We appreciate the save."

She nodded in understanding. "Everyone back to your posts. It was just a false alarm."

The guards all nodded. Zelda smiled and walked over to me. "That was easy," she said with a grin.

I snorted. "If you say so."

* * *

><p><em>Cody:<em>

Night had fallen over the fortress. I was up at the archery range, my clawshot in hand. After my recent battle with Morpha, it was very apparent that I needed some practice. The range was constructed with mounted archery in mind. There were several targets along a set path and a turnaround at one end of the track. However, I was definitely not going to be practicing on horseback.

I took aim at one of the targets and fired, but the shot went wide. I grumbled a little as I retracted the claw. My aim was not improving much and I wasn't sure why. I have the knowledge of many different fighting styles, not all of which are related to swordplay, but none of that stuff seemed to help me with my stinking aim.

I sighed as I lowered the clawshot. Honestly, I wasn't out here because I needed the practice (though I did). I came out here mostly to think. Too much was happening all at once for me. I knew that Malon probably had feelings for me, but for some reason I don't know how I feel. What was holding me back?

It wasn't that I didn't like her. It wasn't that at all. Since I got to this strange world, she had always helped me. She befriended me without reservation. It was an awful lot like when...

"_Cody?_"

I jumped, not expecting company. I turned to see Via floating behind me.

"_I got worried when you left without saying anything,_" she said, sounding a bit forlorn.

"Sorry," I said, a little sheepishly. "I was just practicing with my clawshot." I waved it around for emphasis. "There's no need for worry."

She didn't reply right away. Instead, she floated over and landed on my shoulder. Once again, the glow died down around her, revealing her diminutive form.

I didn't' comment on what she was doing and instead turned back to the target. I took another shot at the target. It was more accurate (if you consider _almost_ grazing the target to be more accurate).

"_Do you want to talk about it?_"

I sighed. "It's kind of personal..."

"_I-I'm sorry!_" she exclaimed, turning a bright pink. "_I didn't mean to intrude..._"

Damn. Now I'm starting to feel bad.

"It's okay," I said quickly. "I'm happy that you're worried about me."

"_Really?_" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head. "And... maybe it would be a good idea... to talk..."

Via nodded, her glow becoming green again. She stared at me expectantly. I look away, trying to compose my thoughts.

"You heard what happened last night, right?" I asked.

"_Yes,_" Via said.

I take a deep breath, and then everything spills out of me in a jumble, "Well, it's not that I don't like Malon as a person! I just don't know if I like-like her. It's kind of driving me crazy because I don't know why I would feel this way. I don't know what's wrong with me. Why am I hesitating?"

Via remained silent for a few moments before replying, "_Do you have any friends back home?_"

The question shocked me. It was kind of out of the blue. Grateful for the momentary respite though, I quickly follow the new topic. "I don't have that many friends actually."

"_Really!?_" Via asked, clearly shocked. "_But you've made friends pretty easily with Link, Zelda, Malon, and I._"

I snorted. "I don't know what you mean by 'easily' when you talk about befriending Link..."

Via shrugged her dainty shoulders, "_Maybe so, but you're friends now. And when we first met..._" She fidgeted a little, obviously a little embarrassed, "_You were very kind to me. I think many people would want to be your friend._"

I smiled a little ironically. "That was actually pretty out of character for me. You've seen what I'm like. I speak fluent sarcasm. Many people think I'm rude. Just ask the others! I'm sure they would agree that I can be a little over the top."

"_Are you saying that we are your only friends?_" she asked, sounding a little sad.

"I wouldn't say that," I said, gazing up to the stars. "There is someone back on Earth. Her name is Katie. Katie Burnett"

"_Katie..._" Via said thoughtfully. "_Is she nice?_"

I laughed a little at that. "She's actually pretty much feared by the entire school."

"_Wait! You mean that she's sc-scary!?_" Via exclaimed, shocked.

I chuckled. "She can be. But she's always been friendly with me. We go way back." I couldn't help but remember all the times we hung out over the years. "We hung out all the time when we were kids. We spent a good deal of our time exploring the areas behind our houses. When we got older, even though our interests changed, we still hung out."

I laughed shaking my head, "Yeah, she's definitely a nice person on the inside."

"_You seem to care about her a lot._"

"Huh?" I said, caught off guard by the way she phrased that.

Via stared at me expectantly. I stared back as everything started clicking in place. She was constantly on my mind. And the way I was just talking about her...

"Via?" I asked. "Are you saying that... the reason I'm hesitating... is because I..."

"_I don't know much about love,_" she interrupts me, turning pink once again. "_I'm just a fairy after all. But it seems to me that you already know why you're hesitating._"

This felt like a lot to swallow. Is it really true that I...?

"You're Cody Williams correct?"

My thought process came to a crashing halt, and Via quickly flew into my hood. I whirled around to see who was there.

The red-haired Gerudo leader, Nabooru, stood there. I was a little surprised that she bothered to seek me out.

"Um... Yeah, I'm him."

She nods at me and holds out her hand, "You left so quickly that we were never properly introduced. My name is Nabooru by the way."

"Ah! Sorry about that..." I said a little sheepishly, shaking her hand. The meeting we had was mainly to discuss the plans for tomorrow. We were to travel through the desert to the Spirit Temple to search for the next Elemental Orb. There wasn't much said that I paid that much attention to though. I know they talked about the break in, Malgum, and other things, but I only listened well enough to tell when I could ditch that place.

"So," she said, eyeing the clawshot in my hand. "You practicing?"

"Yeah," I said as I raised the clawshot. "I don't have the best aim though..."

She shrugged. "Maybe I can help with that, go ahead and try to hit the target."

I frowned a little. I was not sure that I would want to show anybody how much I suck with this thing but...

I took careful aim at the target and fired. The claw bounced off the side of the target this time.

I retracted the claw and glance at Nabooru, "Well... what's the damage."

"You should stick with the sword..." she said dryly.

"Thought so..."

She studied me for a moment, then sighed. "Well, I should be able to help you out a little bit. It won't be much, but at least you won't be _completely_ useless at range."

"Ummm... thanks?"

We spent the next half hour attempting to fix my trouble with aim (we didn't go longer because we needed to get some rest before tomorrow). She was very helpful, though in the end, I only barely managed to hit the target.

"I guess that'll have to do," she said.

"Thanks for your help," I said sincerely.

She looked at me thoughtfully for a second, then said, "I think I might have something that you could use. Come with me."

She turned around started to walk off. Via peeked her head out of my hood and looked at me questioningly. I shrugged in response, then ran off after Nabooru.

* * *

><p>"I left it around here somewhere..." Nabooru said, digging through a chest. I glanced around the room. It was filled with various trophies and plunder. I wondered where she got all this stuff?<p>

_On second thought, it's probably better that I don't know._

"Ah ha!"

Out of the chest, she pulled what appeared to be an old crossbow. She walked over to me and presented it proudly. "Here you go!"

I looked at the crossbow, then looked back at her. "I thought we established that my aim is terrible."

"I know that," she said, rolling her eyes at me. "However, this crossbow is special. Go on, take it."

I accepted her gift dubiously. Since I was holding it, I decided to examine it. It looked really worn but well cared for. Other than that, it looked like a generic crossbow to me (not that I ever really dealt with them on a regular basis).

"Thank you," I said bowing my head to her respectfully. "I'll probably need to find some crossbow bolts now, huh?"

"Nope," she said proudly. "Just pull the string back."

I shrugged and did as she said. As I locked the string in place...

"Whoah!" My eyes were opened in surprise. Once the string was locked down, a crossbow bolt appeared. It glowed with an almost ghostly light. I looked up to Nabooru with wide eyes and she just laughed.

"I knew that you'd like it," she said with a grin. "That crossbow doesn't serve the Gerudo much since very few of us can wield magic. I think that it would be better off in the hands of someone who can actually make use of it."

"Really!?" I said, shocked. "I don't know what to say!"

"You're welcome," she said with a laugh. "And the best thing about it is that you don't have to worry about wasted ammo from your wild shots!"

"I think I could have done without that last part," I said dryly. "But thanks."

"No problem. Now if you don't mind, it would be best if you go and turn in now."

I nodded. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Hopefully it would be relatively uneventful...

Not that I believed that for a second…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So… Seems like there is no action in this chapter either… *Starts running away covering his head***

**Anyway, Cody has a new weapon (though whether or not it will be useful to him remains to be seen), and we actually start seeing hints about what's bothering Cody. What does all this mean for him and Malon?**

**Tune in next time for Chapter 25: Desert Trek.**


	25. Desert Trek

**[A\N]: Long time no see! Sorry about another long wait. I promise that the next chapter won't take longer than a week (sooner as long as I can find some time between tests and homework assignments).**

**And now, onwards to Chapter 25!**

**Chapter 25: Desert Trek**

* * *

><p><em>Link:<em>

"Open the gates!" Nabooru called out.

A few seconds later, the gates leading out to the desert started to groan as they slowly opened. I adjusted the cloak and face mask that I was borrowing for the trip. I remembered the first time I had passed through the desert. A good portion of the desert had been covered in what looked like a perpetual sand storm. In order to find my way, I had ended up having to follow a Poe using the Lens of Truth. Since we were going with Nabooru this time, I figured I would not need it.

"Does everyone have what they need?" Nabooru called over her shoulder.

"Do we really need these heavy cloaks?" Cody griped, tugging on the cloak he was given. He had forgone his usual jacket in favor of the cloak. "I feel like I'm going to have a heatstroke before we even get to the desert."

"You've never traveled through a sandstorm have you?" Nabooru asked wryly. "Enough complaining, let's move out."

Nabooru started through the gate without waiting for a reply.

"I still think my jacket would have been just fine…" Cody grumbled, following after.

I shook my head. His jacket had taken quite the beating on our journey. Why he still insisted on hanging onto that thing was beyond me.

* * *

><p>Shortly after entering the desert, the winds immediately kicked up. To make matters worse, the wind was blowing towards us, making the trip slow going.<p>

"The winds are stronger than usual!" Nabooru shouted out over the howling winds.

Malon leaned in closer to me, "Do you think Malgum has anything to do with this?"

Zelda answered for me, "It's unlikely. Malgum may be powerful, but I doubt he can control the weather."

It wasn't long until we reached the first set of flags. Nabooru held out a hand to halt us.

"We first need to cross the river of sand," she informed us. "Normally we would use a grappling hook, but…" She gave me a pointed look.

I rolled my eyes and pulled out both the Termina Hookshot and the Longshot. I immediately presented them to both Zelda and Malon.

"Um… how are you getting across?" Malon asked quizzically.

I could not help but grin. "You know… I thought I might just walk across." Before either of them could say anything, I walked out across the river of sand.

When I got to the other side, I turned around. Malon and Cody looked shocked, Nabooru looked curious, and Zelda was just shaking her head in exasperation.

"He's wearing the hover boots," she informed the others.

"Oh is that all…" Cody said. "Wait… When did he get hover boots!?"

"You're not very observant are you?" Zelda said with a grin. She turned back towards me and fired off the hookshot. The metal hook sailed past and hit the crate that was set up on the other side (coming uncomfortably close I might add). The chain pulled taut, and she sailed across the river of sand.

Nabooru and Malon both came over together on the longshot, leaving just Cody. Cody pulled out his clawshot and took aim.

"One second, boy," Nabooru called out. "You really think that thing is going to latch onto one of these crates?"

"That was the hope…"

She pointed to one of the flags next to us. "You're going to have to hit that."

"Umm… Why?..."

Nabooru just gave him a wicked grin. "That claw is never going to latch onto a crate, boy."

Cody looked at the flagpole apprehensively. I frowned. I had heard that Cody was a bad shot, but he could not be _that_ bad…

Cody took careful aim, then fired. The claw sailed out across the river, looking like it was going to pass well past the flagpole.

Nabooru grinned as she watched. "I think that is going to be a mi-" A howling gust of wind hit the claw, and redirected it back to the pole. "Hit…"

Cody was pulled across the river and landed next to the pole. Nabooru looked at him incredulously. "Did you plan that?"

"... Um… yeah… we'll go with that…" he said a little sheepishly.

She snorted. "Thought so. Let's keep going."

* * *

><p>The trip to the halfway point took almost an hour, thanks to the large dust storm. Visibility was so low that we could not see the flags. We were forced to rely only on Nabooru's memory. We almost ran straight into the structure at the end of the path of flags.<p>

"We need to take shelter!" Nabooru shouted. "It's too dangerous, we need to wait out the storm!"

"You won't hear any arguments here," I said.

We quickly piled into the structure. Nabooru rushed over to the opposite wall. After a few seconds, there was a groan and part of the wall sank into the ground.

"Follow me," Nabooru commanded. She walked down a stairway into darkness. We all looked at each other and shrugged, then followed her down. After we entered, the door closed behind us, plunging us into darkness.

"Um… Nabooru?" I called out.

Just ahead, a flickering light lit the passage. We followed the light until we entered a chamber that was roughly the same size as the structure overhead. It was circular and made of the same stone that the rest of the building was made up of. There was sand piled up around the edges in various spots.

Nabooru was in the middle of the chamber, setting up a fire. "We'll hold up here for a little while," she explained. "At least until the storm calms down."

"Thank goodness," Cody said, shaking his cloak off his shoulder. "I've got sand in places I didn't know sand could get!"

"And you'll get to experience that again on the way to the temple and on the way back," Zelda said calmly, folding her cloak up beside her.

"Can't you let me dream a little…"

Nabooru shook her head as she chuckled. "Let's get comfortable. We may be here for a while."

* * *

><p>"I must say," I said, glancing around the chamber. "I really wish I knew about this place the first time through the desert."<p>

"Not even all the Gerudo know of it," Nabooru said. "To be honest, I only accidently stumbled across it myself."

We had been here for an entire hour, making small talk. The winds were still howling outside, foreshadowing a long wait.

Zelda, Nabooru, and I were currently sitting around the fire. Cody and Via were near the stairs, and Malon was at the opposite end of the chamber (Cody and Malon were still not talking).

"It's been a while since last we met, hasn't it Link?" Nabooru said.

I shrugged. "Well, there's not a whole lot of reasons for me to come out to Gerudo Valley."

"And I haven't seen the princess here since she was a child," Nabooru said.

"The day Ganondorf was arrested," Zelda said, nodding her head. "I remember that time real well."

I did as well. Shortly after my return to the normal timeline, I had immediately raced to meet Zelda. Together, we were able to convince her father of the danger that Ganondorf represented. The Gerudo King did not go quietly though.

"As I recall, you had a hand in helping arrest him," I said to Nabooru.

"He was a vile man even then," she said, shaking her head. "I'm ashamed that I ever thought he was a worthy ruler of the Gerudo."

"Thankfully, he was executed," Zelda said. "We'll never have to worry about him again."

Nabooru glanced up at Zelda, confused. "Executed?"

Both Zelda and I turned to look at her. "Yeah," I said. "The King informed us of that shortly after his arrest…"

Nabooru blinked. "He… He must not have wanted to alarm you-"

"Are you saying that psychopath is still alive!" I shouted.

"What's going on?"

My sudden outburst had drawn Cody over.

"We just found out that one of the most evil men that ever existed is still alive," Zelda said, her usual calm demeanor completely gone. "I can't believe my father would lie to me like that!"

"_Evil?_" Via asked from Cody's shoulder. "_Was he really bad?_"

"Yeah, the guy took over Hyrule once," I said shaking my head. "I know that the events from the other timeline had not happened, but he did kill more than a few people in preparation for what was to come."

"You seem to know something," Zelda said, zeroing in on Nabooru. "Why wasn't Ganondorf executed."

Nabooru shifted uncomfortably. "It wasn't from lack of trying."

We all stared at her expectantly.

She sighed. "Have you ever heard of the Arbiter's Grounds?"

I shook my head no. Zelda on the other hand nodded. "I've heard mention of it. It's supposed to be a prison, but it was also a sacred place."

"That's the gist of it," Nabooru said. "It's the place where the spirits of the original sages reside."

"Wait… I'm confused," Cody interjected. "I thought the sages were actual _living_ beings."

"_We_ are," Nabooru said. "We get our powers from theses sages. _I_ get my powers from the Sage of Spirit."

I remembered discussing this with Zelda earlier, how we did not know how the other sages were connected to the current sages. Apparently we do now...

"I think I'm going to get a headache from all this new information…" Cody said, sounding weary.

"But how does this all relate to Ganondorf," Zelda said impatiently. "Did something happen at the Arbiter's Grounds?"

Nabooru nodded. "I don't know the full details, but he was taken up to the sages to be executed."

"If it was the sages that were in charge of that, they would have known about his evil deeds in the other timeline," Zelda insisted. "There is no way they would have given him a stay of execution!"

"They didn't…" Nabooru said, looking grim. "He was protected by the Goddesses."

A stunned silence filled the room. Nabooru continued, "He received what should have been a fatal blow, but the Triforce of Power glowed on the back of his hand and…"

Nabooru trailed off.

"What is it?" I asked. It must be bad if _Nabooru _was acting this way

She took a breath before speaking, "He destroyed the Sage of Water."

"He destroyed a _spirit_!" Cody said, shocked. "Is he more powerful than Malgum!?"

"Yeah," Zelda said, her face pale. "Much more. The only reason we haven't gotten Malgum yet is that we can't pin him down…"

There were some other pressing concerns about Nabooru's revelation. "When I was in the Water Temple, I noticed that Ruto's powers seemed to be fading…"

"She'll be fine," Nabooru quickly assured me. "She will one day lose her powers, but her life force will remain unaffected. It will be years before her powers completely fade away anyway."

I nodded. At least Ruto was fine. "You said he had the Triforce of Power…"

"That is correct," Nabooru nodded.

"But how?" Zelda said incredulously. "He never made it to the Sacred Realm this time around! How could he be protected by Din!"

As Zelda was saying this, I stared at the back of my left hand. "I think I have an idea about that..."

"What do you mean?" Zelda said, finally starting to focus.

"Do you think that the Triforce… came back with me?"

Zelda shook her head, "No. Only your mind traveled through time. The triforce should have stayed in the other timeline."

"But doesn't the triforce bind with the soul?" I insisted. "When I came back, the triforce must have realigned itself based on the piece I brought back."

"It's possible I guess…" Zelda said, sounding doubtful. "But that would mean we would have the other pieces, and the Triforce of Wisdom has never manifested for me."

I shrugged, "It's just a thought."

We all remained silent for a moment.

"As interesting as this all it," Cody eventually interjected, "what happened to Ganondorf?"

"Right," Nabooru nodded. "He was too powerful to kill, so they did the only thing they could do under the circumstances..."

"They banished him to the land of Twilight."

Cody looked around the group, looking confused. "So… can he escape from this… Twilight?"

"In theory no," Nabooru said. "But he-"

"Has the Triforce of Power," Zelda finished. "He may be contained for now, but he will escape eventually."

"Well… that sucks…" Cody supplied unhelpfully.

"There's nothing we can do about it now…" Zelda said with a sigh. "All we can do is pray to the goddesses that he will forever stay in Twilight."

We lapsed into silence, not sure what else to say. After everything that had happened, I never once thought that I might ever have to deal with Ganondorf again…

And now it looked like it may be a very real possibility…

* * *

><p>We were in there for another hour before the winds calmed down enough to venture back outside (not that the storm actually went away).<p>

"Oh the joys of sand," Cody said with a sigh.

"Alright everyone," Nabooru called out. "Be sure to follow me exactly. The desert will swallow you up and spit you back out if you don't."

With that, she started walking out into the howling wind.

Cody leaned in next to me, "Is this desert actually called the Lost Desert?"

I chuckled, shaking my head.

* * *

><p>Thanks to the calmer winds, the journey from the desert to the colossus was much shorter. When we reached the outskirts of the Colossus, the winds immediately died down.<p>

"At last!" Cody said gleefully as he stuffed his cloak into the Infinity Bag while simultaneously pulling out his battered grey jacket.

"You know that we're going to be going back through that again in a short while right?" I said, shaking my head.

"Hey… Shut up…"

I just shook my head.

"Luckily, we don't have to go into the temple," Nabooru said. "The orb should be located in the oasis just over there."

Nabooru pointed to the palm trees that were a few hundred yards away.

"Sweet! I really wanted to cool off!" Cody shouted with glee.

Without further ado, he took off straight for the oasis.

"Are you _five_!?" I shouted after him.

"I have to admit, I'm all for taking a dip as well," Malon said, shaking the sand from her cloak.

"Remember to stay vigilant," Zelda said, her eyes scanning the environment. "Malgum has always attacked us when we've gone after the Orbs so far."

I nodded, "It would be a good idea to grab the orb and get out of here as fast as possible."

"Agreed," Zelda said.

We followed after Cody (albeit at a slower pace), and eventually made it to the oasis. Cody and Via were busily splashing water on their faces.

Cody let out a contented sigh, "I'm feeling _much_ better now."

I just shook my head in exasperation.

"I guess this is my cue," Nabooru said. She stepped onto the rock (the same rock I once stood on long ago and played the Song of Storms), crossed her arms and closed her eyes. It was only a few seconds before she started to glow with an orange light…

A loud rumble came from the center of the oasis. Cracks appeared in the floor of the pool, causing the water to drain away (much to Cody's dismay). Another pedestal rose from the ground. Like all the others, this one also had a statue on top. The statue was of a hand, clutching at a glowing orange orb…

The Orb of Earth…

Using the Hover Boots, I floated down next to the pedestal and quickly snatched the orb from the statue.

"Got it," I said, turning to the others. "I think now would be a great time to leave."

"Really? But I had something planned for you and everything!"

This was starting to get depressingly predictable… Standing atop the pillar of rock next to the (former) oasis, was Malgum.

Everybody immediately had their weapons drawn and ready. Malgum just grinned at the display from under his hood, "That's the spirit! I have something fun planned for you all today!"

Malgum turned towards me and gave me a particularly chilling grin, "As a matter of fact, it's an enemy that you haven't faced before."

I scowled.

"Anyway," he said, stretching as if he were bored, "I must get going. Much to do. Have to prepare to grab the Sword of Darkness after all. Later!"

With that, he was consumed by shadows and vanished.

"A new enemy?" Nabooru asked. "Why do I get the feeling that we should run?"

Before anybody could reply, a loud cracking sound reverberated through the desert air. Mine and Cody's eyes met. We nodded and immediately took off, rounding the pillar separating us from the Desert Colossus.

When we got around the corner, we stopped short. I felt the blood drain from my face. Behind us, I could hear Zelda, Malon, and Nabooru quickly catching up. They too abruptly stopped.

"Din…" Nabooru breathed out barely louder than a whisper, "What has that monster done…"

The carving in the cliff wall above the Spirit Temple, the imposing Desert Colossus, was tearing itself away from the cliff face…

And its face was contorted with rage…

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]: WARNING! INCOMING BOSS FIGHT!**

**After that long wait, we finally come across the next boss. And it is MASSIVE!**

**Will the group be able to take on a giant statue made of stone?**

**Tune in next time for: Chapter 26: Titan of the Sands: Desert Colossus.**


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